The twisting path to happiness
by ZombieAmoeba
Summary: Obi-wan and Anakin, now a single father, discover their mutual love over the course of a trip with the twins. Set in ROTS era but the Clone wars ended differently, no Palpatine and for this story's purposes Padme has abandoned Anakin and the kids (sorry! I do like Padme's character). Begins a bit angsty then fluff, banter and slash, finishing with mega-fluff happy ending.
1. New Beginnings

It was an average day on Coruscant at the jedi temple. Now that the Clone wars was over, there was more hustle and bustle in the temple as the old routines had fallen back into place. Jedi and padawans scurried between training classes, study sessions in the archives, council meetings where all council members were actually present for a change, and many other tasks.

One jedi master, dressed in pale jedi tunic and pants with a brown robe, was walking alone, deep in thought about how best to approach the sensitive negotiations with the new Rodian government that was next on his agenda. He was on the wrong side of forty, although no-one who didn't know him would have guessed that due to the energy in his stride and his clearly well-trained body.

"Obi-wan!"

The jedi master halted, as if hit by an immobiliser. He recognised the voice behind him instantly, although it had been some time since he had heard it. He turned, his straight golden-brown hair shining in the sunlight, his face tightening imperceptibly as a taller, younger man dressed in dark clothes cautiously emerged out of the shadows to approach him.

"Um… I've been waiting for you to walk by" said the younger man bashfully, who was strikingly attractive yet evidently apprehensive about initiating this conversation. "Well… here I am" replied Obi-wan slightly awkwardly. "What do you want, Anakin?" He could sense in the force that other jedi passing them were curious – Obi-wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, the former A-team, hadn't been seen together for years. Obi-wan drew his thoughts away from their surrounds and observers, and concentrated on what the man who had once been his closest friend had to say.

Anakin spoke nervously. "Ahh, this might come a bit out of the blue, but I've found out that we both are on leave for the same week next month… and I was wondering whether you would… whether you would come with me and the kids to Alderaan for a week's holiday?"

Obi-wan's face revealed his utter astonishment, his mind racing and catapulting him back into his memories, painful memories that he had buried deep inside, keeping his schedule as busy as possible to avoid any brief moment of free time when his mind might wander into that hazardous country.

He remembered vividly being in the council meeting room three years ago, enduring a tedious discussion on the logistics of maintaining plumbing services for a field base for peace-time clone reserves. Uninvited, Anakin had burst in and told the council he urgently had to speak to them. Obi-wan had been alarmed when Anakin's normally cocky demeanour had then crumbled and the young knight had put his face in his hands, sagging against the door frame. Yoda had indicated to Obi-wan to take his former padawan into the antechamber – they could tell the rest of the council later what all this was about, right now Anakin obviously needed support.

His initial alarm had however been supplanted by pure shock followed rapidly by a deep stabbing betrayal and hurt that had never left him since, when Anakin revealed that he, Anakin Skywalker, jedi knight, respected clone wars general and public poster boy of the jedi order, was also secretly the father of senator Amidala's twins that had been born two years previously. He confessed tearfully that he was revealing this now because Padme had very recently upped and left him and the kids for good, and since he was now a single father he could no longer keep the secret - he had to look after his children and could no longer keep doing his jedi duties.

Obi-wan had slumped down into a chair, reeling from the news and unable to even look at Anakin, eventually making his way back to his quarters where he simply lay on his bed for a full day, staring numbly at the ceiling. Yoda had returned to the council to discuss what to do, the outcome being that Anakin would officially remain a 'jedi' but would be given domestic duties around the temple, such as cleaning and maintenance work that he could fit around childcare. Losing the respect of his fellow jedi, his status as a war hero, and the thrills of active service was considered punishment enough for Anakin, thoroughly humiliating the proud young man. As Obi-wan continued to go on missions with his newly-assigned partner Kit, he had seen Anakin increasingly infrequently. When he did see him his heart wept to see him looking so sad and forlorn, other jedi whispering about the prophesied Chosen One's fall from grace behind his back as he hurried through the temple with his head down, toddlers in tow. But Obi-wan couldn't deny that there was a part of him felt some righteousness that the man who had torn out his heart and shredded it to pieces it was suffering for his actions.

"Obi-wan?"

The jedi master snapped back to the present, but his internal chaos led his usually eloquent self to be lost for words. The best he could do was mumble "uhh well… aah, umm". Downcast, Anakin pleaded for his former master to say yes. "I know you probably can't stand the sight of me, but I was hoping that maybe you would consider coming for the twins' sake? You see, I may have been telling them stories from… before… and they think of you as their hero. I struggle to give them anything special in their lives, and being with you on holiday would be a real treat. Please?"

Obi-wan did indeed have a soft spot for Anakin's little 5 year-olds Luke and Leia. When he was on temple duty he often spent time in the creche with the younglings, and couldn't help but give the twins that little bit of extra attention due to the bond he had once had with their father. The twins felt his affection and returned it in spades.

That master Kenobi was still hopelessly in love with his staggeringly handsome former padawan did not simplify the decision. One part of him was giddy that this gorgeous man had burst back into his life and wanted to spend time with him, and clamoured to say yes. The rational part of him that was very good at controlling his elemental urges reminded him that he had been knifed through the heart by this same gorgeous man already, and warned him that saying yes would quite possibly just lead to more pain. The part of him that was the consummate jedi couldn't believe that he would even consider it, given the number of rules in the jedi code that Anakin had broken, and the shame that he had brought on himself and the order through his actions.

As is so often the case, love (with the excuse that it was for the twins' sake) won out.

"Ok Anakin, I'll come with you to spend some time with the twins. Send me the details of where and when our shuttle will depart from and what supplies I need to bring, and I'll see you there".

The younger jedi nodded and slipped away to continue the sweeping that he was meant to be doing at the moment. His heart was somersaulting in his chest, not quite believing what had just happened. It had taken all of his renowned courage to approach his former master – former best friend – and he had expected to be rejected outright. He allowed himself a small smile. For the first time in three years, he had something good to look forward to.

The date of their leave-taking finally arrived, and the two jedi and two lively younglings set off to Alderaan. It was a short trip, once he had set the starship's course in hyperspace Anakin spent most of it occupied with keeping the kids happy. They had not yet experienced enough space travel to be able to ignore the discomfort that came with it. He was hyper-aware of Obi-wan's presence in the ship, but luckily the twins kept him busy enough that he couldn't dwell on his anxiety, or on what he was going to say to his old friend when the kids had gone to bed and they were alone. The two years since Padme had left had been downright hell. Come to think of it, every year since he'd found out she was pregnant had been downright hell, but at least while she was still mothering the kids he could live in denial and pretend nothing had changed, that he was still a top jedi knight, that he and his former master were still the ultimate team and best friends. He could still pretend that he and Obi-wan would be together forever. That had all come crashing down when Padme had one day decided that she was fed up with sacrificing her glittering career for the brats of a guy who had only been a toy boy to her and had regretfully ended up knocking her up. The same day she had packed her things and left to be with her new lover, someone far higher up the food chain than a mere jedi knight. Forcing himself back to the present, Anakin pushed his memories aside and reached for a storybook called Giggling Gungans: Leia's favourite. He sighed, and began to read the rhyming text for the umpteenth time.

In another corner of the starship the older jedi wrapped his robes around him and pretended to read a book, while mulling over how he was going to cope over the next week. How was he going to cope watching the man who he had dreamed of sharing the rest of his life with playing with the children that he had already produced with someone else? How was he going to act around Anakin when the kids had gone to bed and they were alone? He couldn't help himself, he still felt little bursts of delight inside when Anakin's bright blue eyes looked at him, when his perfect lips spoke to him – although he hadn't seen those lips smile for a while… He resolved to just try to relax and take each day as it came. If he could face down whole armies of droids trying to kill him, surely he could face seven days with the person that had once been his closest friend?

As the ship moved onwards through the blackness of space towards Alderaan, the two jedi remained mired in their thoughts.


	2. Reacquainted

It had been so late when they had arrived at the Alderaanian lakehouse the night before, that they all had all just clambered into their respective beds and nodded off instantly. Now, in the bright sunshine of the morning, Anakin and his children had done a quick tour of the house already and were tucking into some breakfast. As always, Luke had managed to spill blue milk on the table as he poured it over his krispy koonies, and Leia kept dropping her spoon on the floor, leaving a halo of half-chewed koonies around her chair legs.

Anakin felt Obi-wan's presence in the force change subtly, indicating he was on his way to the dining room. As he leisurely wandered into the room stretching his arms, in casual clothes rather than a jedi tunic for a change, Anakin groaned on the inside – how could the man be so effortlessly sexy? He checked that his mental shielding was up and gave himself a quick reprimand 'Obi-wan is only here for this kids you fool, so don't go getting any inappropriate ideas'. Obi-wan took a seat at the table. "Sorry I slept in, the beds are very comfortable here – I was dead to the world" "Good morning uncle Obi" said Luke and Leia politely, receiving a warm smile in return. "Good morning Leia and good morning Luke. What time did you get up this morning? Must have been very early." "Tell me about it" Anakin butted in. "The little menaces consider themselves to be my own personal alarm clock." The twins giggled. "Daddy was being boring, we wanted him to play with us" Leia explained to Obi-wan matter-of-factly. Given that it was still quite early in the morning, Obi-wan wasn't surprised that his old friend looked so sleep-deprived these days, if he was woken at the crack of dawn every day by these little bundles of energy. Hopefully he'd be able to catch up a little during this holiday.

"What would you like for breakfast Obi-wan?" Anakin asked. He was suddenly acutely aware that all their food was very kid-centric – he himself just ate whatever the kids ate, it was easier that way, but he suspected that the older man might not be so keen to start the day with a bowl of krispy koonies. "We've got, let's see… krispy koonies obviously..." "Krispy _what_?" "Uh, koonies… it's like little bits of crunchy… something. I actually have no idea what it is, but the kids like it, so that's good enough for me. I let them have whatever they want for breakfast, but I do make sure they eat healthily at lunch and dinner, I promise!" the young father babbled, worried that Obi-wan thought less of him for not cooking a nutritious meal for the younglings in the mornings. "Don't worry Anakin, I'm not judging you" Obi-wan soothed, reading his former padawan's reaction with ease.

Anakin gave a little insecure smile, before listing off the other options on offer. "I'm surprised you didn't bring any noria cakes, given that we shared a breakfast table for over a decade - don't you remember that's pretty much all I ever ate?" Anakin kicked himself, how could he have forgotten the one thing that his master ever ate for breakfast unless they were having a special-occasion breakfast and cooked something fancy. "I'm-I'm sorry, I j-just… I haven't forgotten, honestly... I'm just so tired… I c-can't think straight" he stuttered, embarrassed that he must appear to care so little for his former master that he couldn't even remember something as simple as that. "You can have some of my koonies, uncle Obi" offered Leia, pushing her half-finished bowl of cereal towards him. "Thank you Leia, but I think I'll get my own bowl of koonies – you finish yours. It's no problem Anakin, really, we'll have to go to the shop to get more food later on anyway." They proceeded to eat their breakfast, Anakin brooding silently, worrying that Obi-wan was wishing he hadn't come, while the man in question was in fact quite enjoying talking to Luke and Leia, and charming them by doing little force tricks on the utensils when their father wasn't looking – he held his finger up against his lips so they wouldn't tell Anakin, who had always been reprimanded by Obi-wan if he was ever caught doing the same thing when he was young.

"Ok guys, pass me your bowls" ordered Anakin. "That includes you, master jedi." "Don't be silly Anakin, I can wash my own bowl" resisted Obi-wan, holding onto his bowl. "No, I insist – you're here to have a holiday, you don't need to do any dishes, that's _my_ job." "You need a holiday too you know, I really don't mind." "No way, you are my guest and that's that – give me the bowl." "But…" Luke and Leia watched with bemusement as the two men argued over the dishes, they didn't know why their daddy cared so much about washing uncle Obi's bowl himself. "Will you come and read us a story, uncle Obi?" asked Luke, interrupting the debate. "There. Go relax and read a story and _I_ will do the dishes." Obi-wan finally acquiesced. As he waited for Luke to pick out a book for him he sank into a couch and pondered – had they really just had a heated argument over something as trivial as the dishes? Why was Anakin so wound up about it, couldn't he see that Obi-wan wanted to help him? It might be a loong week, he thought to himself.

Anakin scrubbed his way aggressively through the pile of dishes, making lots of noise and spraying dishwater everywhere. _Why_ couldn't the man just kriffing let him show that he could do something useful for once, that he was capable of taking care of them? Instead of the nice gesture that Anakin had intended they had ended up quarreling, and now Anakin was nervous that maybe this had been a bad idea, maybe inviting Obi-wan would only push them even further apart, if that was possible. He gripped the edge of the sink and closed his eyes tightly, willing back the tears that were threatening to appear. He shook his head, regained his composure and pulled the plug before joining the others in the lounge.

A few hours later, they were all making their way down to the lakefront which was just a short walk from the house. The lakehouse was located in a rural area near one of Alderaan's lowest mountain ranges, and it was a fairly idyllic situation, truth be told. The small lake beside the house was essentially theirs alone, there were a few inhabitants of some other species in the forest at the opposite end of the lake, but no other houses very close by. The nearest village, Cantara, was only ten minutes away by speeder and had all the basic necessities covered, as well as another lake that was a popular holiday destination, with wide sandy beaches. A forty-minute speeder trip would take them to Poltaria, a much bigger city by Alderaanian standards.

Their little lake did not have a beach, just a grassy lawn that stopped abruptly at the water's edge, and a jetty that went some way out into the water. Anakin was being pulled inexorably towards the jetty by his children, Obi-wan following behind carrying a book and a blanket. When they reached the water's edge, Obi-wan spread the blanket out and lay down on it. He opened the book and pretended to read, while actually watching Anakin and the kids, his sunglasses hiding his eyes. The younger man was barefoot, wearing some old torn black t-shirt and scruffy black shorts that contrasted with his golden tanned skin and hair, sun-bleached from all the hours he now spent outdoors maintaining the temple grounds.

All of a sudden, Anakin grabbed the kids under his arms and ran down the jetty, wildly leaping off the end fully clothed. On surfacing, he threw the twins up into the air as they squealed joyfully, splashing back into the cool clear water before trying to gang up on their dad to dunk him. As he watched the Skywalkers cavort, Obi-wan realised he was hearing Anakin laugh for the first time in many years. He admired Anakin's physique as his soaked shirt clung to his muscular torso, marveling that he was still in such good shape despite being permanently on temple duties. He must manage to squeeze some training in around all his other tasks, Obi-wan thought, before reflecting that all his daily menial tasks were probably quite a good work-out in themselves. He then caught himself – what was he doing thinking about this stuff? He was sixteen years older than this man, and those kids right there were the result of Anakin's love for someone else. He shook his head to clear his mind and forced himself back to the turgid book in his hand.

Out of the blue, the soaking wet Skywalker twins pounced on top of the unsuspecting Obi-wan. "Come play with us, uncle Obi!" Anakin rushed after them, towel in hand, apologising profusely. "Luke! Leia! What are you thinking? Get off master Kenobi this minute, you're getting his book wet. I'm sorry Obi-wan, I take my eye off them for a minute…" Obi-wan put his book aside and stood up, little Leia holding his hand, trying to pull him towards the nearby swings. "Look, you don't need to say sorry, I'm totally happy taking a turn playing with them. It's why I'm here, after all." "But you were enjoying your book, I'm sorry, I don't want them to be a pain." The younger jedi looked down at his children who were impatiently waiting for the adults to finish. Obi-wan put his hand under Anakin's chin and tilted his head up, more sharply than he'd intended, so that he could look him in the eyes. "Damn it Anakin - Don't. Say. Sorry. I _want_ to play with them." He let Leia and Luke drag him away, leaving Anakin standing there, his skin tingling where Obi-wan had touched him. How he'd longed to be touched by that man – but this wasn't quite how he'd imagined it.

Anakin shrugged and lay down on the towel, closing his eyes and enjoying the sun on his skin. What a foreign feeling, to be free from the relentlessness of child-minding or work for a moment. He rolled over on his side and opened his eyes again to watch his former master playing with his kids from afar. Obi-wan was so perfect, it was ridiculous. To a stranger, the older man might appear a bit of a swot, a bit of a pushover, but Anakin knew otherwise. He'd seen his master in the heat of battle and knew that he was lethal with a lightsaber, easily outfighting as well as outwitting most opponents. It was one of the things Anakin most admired about the object of his affections – that he was confident enough in his abilities that he didn't feel the need to act tough or wear clothes that showed off his superbly toned body. He didn't care that Obi-wan was considerably older than he was, even in his forties the man put to shame every man that was in Anakin's own age bracket. Gods, Anakin thought, if only he had made some different choices then perhaps he would have had a chance with this man rather than having to settle for fantasies. But then he thought of his children, those little demanding beings that were nevertheless little rays of sunshine in his otherwise dreary life, and his heart twinged. Another set of choices and they would never have existed. He didn't want that. Resolving to stop thinking about it, he rolled over again to pull out some headphones from his bag and lay back with his eyes closed to lose himself in music – one of the simple luxuries that he was usually denied, as a single father needing to keep his ears open.

The entire day passed under the Alderaanian sun, the two men taking turns to play with the kids while the other one relaxed, with brief trips to the house every now and then to grab a snack. Eventually the sun dipped low in the sky and they decided it was time to head back indoors to have dinner. Anakin insisted on cooking dinner and pretty much forced Obi-wan into a couch in the lounge, where he was now sitting watching the news on the holonet. He grimaced internally, remembering how terrible the results of Anakin's infrequent attempts at cooking used to be. Perhaps with daily practice he had improved by now, he hoped. Anakin had waved his hand in the direction of the twins, making the case that they were still alive and healthy, weren't they? So it couldn't be that bad. And besides, Obi-wan was here for a holiday, not to be their servant, he had said firmly before walking off to the kitchen.

Wanting to keep the peace, the older jedi surrendered and leaned back in the couch, only to involuntarily sit up again when the familiar face of Padme Amidala appeared on the holonet, being interviewed at length about some new senate initiative. He could feel through the sudden tension in the force that Anakin could hear her too, however he was interested to note that neither Luke nor Leia, who were sitting by his feet playing quietly, paid the slightest bit of attention to their mother's voice. Cautiously probing Anakin's feelings more deeply in the force, taking care to shield himself thoroughly so the young man wouldn't notice, he perceived that there was no sadness or sense of loss in Anakin, on the contrary he could feel strong resentment, as well as something odd that he couldn't quite interpret, but seemed almost like relief. As the holonet moved on to the next story, Obi-wan sat back and pondered over his intriguing observations.

"Food's ready, come and get it" Anakin called a little later. He doled out helpings to the younglings, who dutifully started eating. As Obi-wan served himself he noted that alas, daily practice had indeed not made one iota of difference. The rata tubers were burned, something once leafy and green had been boiled into an identifiable sludge, and the nerf patties were somehow both burnt on the outside _and_ under-cooked in the middle at the same time. He felt Anakin's gaze upon him and looked up, thanking him for the meal. "It's ok, you don't have to pretend that it's good, Obi-wan." Obi-wan glanced over at the kids, expecting them to be screwing their little noses up, but was surprised to see that they had almost finished already. "They're used to it by now" said Anakin, correctly reading Obi-wan's thoughts. He shrugged with resignation and looked down at his plate. "I do my best." "I'm certain you do" replied Obi-wan kindly.

Despite having done the cooking, Anakin still wouldn't let Obi-wan do any of the dishes. Obi-wan was about to argue, but stopped himself. If Anakin wanted to over-react about this – and wasn't over-reaction one of the man's most identifying features? – then fine, he would go and play a boardgame with the kids. As Anakin scrubbed at the dishes alone, he wasn't sure whether they had just taken a step forwards or backwards in their friendship.

"Just going to be in the 'fresher for a bit" Anakin called, smiling a little at the "roger roger" he received in response. He was going to enjoy this to the max, for once knowing that no force-wielding youngsters were going to cause chaos in his brief absence, since they had a top jedi master as their baby-sitter. He carelessly stripped off his grungy old clothes and his leather glove, groaning as he let the deliciously hot water flood over his body. As he lathered himself up, he reflected on that hated, but essential, piece of machinery that had been attached to him. Fortunately, it was fully waterproof and so no hindrance to washing or swimming. He was also well used to it by now, and could do practically everything that he had been able to do before he lost his arm – more things, even, since he could now feel no pain in it and could crush objects in his fist, should he choose to. No, the reason he hated it was because it was an ever-present, highly visible reminder of his failings. As were his children. He rubbed his hands, mechanical and flesh, over his face. They may be proof of his mistakes, but he fucking loved his children, even if he would also love being able to share the burden of raising them. Which brought him to Obi-wan. He sighed. All thoughts eventually led to Obi-wan. The handsome-as-hell Obi-wan. Who was here, voluntarily, unwittingly torturing Anakin all day with his grey-green eyes and his carefully-trimmed hair… his calm authoritative voice and his fucking sexy body… Anakin slid a hand down over his rapidly-swelling cock and eased his need in the only way he could. As he climaxed, his shielding slipped a little, but in his blissful release the young jedi was oblivious to this as he leaned his forehead to the wall, the cascading water cleaning away the evidence of his fantasies.

While waiting patiently for Luke to finish his turn at the game, Obi-wan felt a change in the force, flickerings of desire erupting around Anakin's force signature, and… fleeting flashes of images that he wasn't quite sure what to make of. "Your turn uncle Obi" Luke interrupted him as he tried to pin down what exactly he was sensing, making him lose his grip on the slippery, elusive sensation. "What? Oh, right, sorry." They finished playing the game, Obi-wan slightly distractedly, resulting in him losing badly. A clean Anakin in just a robe, toweling his damp hair, wandered in and collected the children to put them to bed, while Obi-wan headed to the fresher himself. He was still in there as Anakin passed to go to his bedroom, causing him to pause, tempted to reach out in the force to sense beyond that closed door. He thought the better of it, instead simply calling out "good night" before heading to his room.

The jedi lay in their separate beds, both unable to sleep and both having locked down their shielding firmly to ensure their privacy, staring up at the ceiling, lost in thought. Obi-wan couldn't get the image of a freshly-showered Anakin in a loose off-at-the-shoulder robe out of his mind. Stang, did the man have to go around flaunting himself at Obi-wan like that? He had had to call on all his extensive jedi training to not reveal any hint of what he was feeling as Anakin had combed his slender fingers through his gorgeous hair, speaking words to him with those tantalising lips that Obi-wan yearned to touch. 'Sixteen years' he reminded himself. But a devilish voice inside him pointed out how much Anakin had matured since the kids had come into his life – he really was a man now, what difference did a few years make? He further reflected that the man truly seemed to have no form of attachment left to Padme. He had felt desire through the force while Anakin was in the fresher… could it have been directed at him? He briefly fantasised about what he would have seen had he opened the fresher door, before the rational side of him stepped up, gave himself a slap and told himself that Anakin appreciated him as a friend and that was all. He resorted to tried and true meditation techniques to clear his mind, and eventually drifted off into sleep.

Lying spread-eagled on top of his bed, robe discarded carelessly on the floor, Anakin flicked through his memories of the day. Obi-wan force-levitating a spoonful of koonies to Leia when he thought Anakin wasn't looking. Obi-wan pushing the twins on the swings, biceps flexing visibly through his thin white shirt. Obi-wan sitting watching the holonet with the kids playing at his feet. Obi-wan… Obi-wan. He was so sweet to Anakin's children. Observing them interact in such domestic situations made Anakin's heart yearn excruciatingly for _that_ to be the reality of his life – one happy family. But what could ever induce someone as dutiful as Obi-wan to go against the foundation of his beliefs in such a way? Certainly not his disgraced ex-padawan, that was for sure. Anakin grabbed a pillow and hugged it tightly into his stomach in a futile effort to fill the void of affection that he longed to give and to receive. He was determined to not feel any disappointment and just to enjoy Obi-wan's presence for this brief sojourn – after all, what had he ever thought would happen? Much later, he too fell asleep.


	3. New Possibilities

Anakin had been woken by his usual alarm clock – having the air knocked out of his lungs by a double-barrelled assault from two miniature wannabe jedi warriors leaping onto his chest with gusto. After reducing the assailants to helpless giggling puddles through a frenzy of tickling, he sat up and scratched his chest, yawning as the twins bounced on the bed behind him. "Get up daddy! Get up daddy!" Anakin nodded groggily, as Leia rummaged through his discarded clothes on the floor and picked out a faded old black t-shirt for him. It had some Coruscant rock band on it that had been a favourite of his, back when he'd been in full training for his trials and life had seemed so full of promise. "This one! The little girl grinned at him and shoved the shirt into his hands. Not to be outdone, Luke hunted around for his dad's favourite shorts and delivered them without fanfare – he was so much quieter than Leia, which Anakin thanked the stars for, two Leias would be overwhelming. Anakin stood up and tried to put his shorts on, but Luke latched onto his leg causing him to lose his balance and crash back onto the bed, Leia leaping onto his chest triumphantly waving his leather glove in his face. "Don't forget this daddy!"

Obi-wan sat in the lounge sipping at a steaming cup of lantibban tea, listening to the shouts, crashes and giggles as the twins helped their father get dressed. So much chaos for such a simple act. "Skywalkers" he muttered to himself with a smile and shook his head. Eventually the door opened and Leia appeared, determinedly dragging her father by his shorts out towards the dining table. The disheveled Anakin smiled at Obi-wan sheepishly. "Sorry to keep you waiting, it's hard to get good help these days" he said as he ruffled Luke's hair and Leia squawked indignantly that if they hadn't helped, he would still have no clothes on. "A good point, we can't have that now can we young Leia" Obi-wan responded in mock seriousness. While serving up fruit and cereal with blue milk to everybody, Anakin thanked Obi-wan for setting the table and promised that today they would make time to get some more supplies including noria cakes.

Once they'd eaten, Anakin sat back and folded his arms behind his head. "So what shall we do today then Luke?" he asked. Luke thought hard for a few minutes, then turned to Obi-wan and asked "what do you want to do uncle Obi?" The older jedi had spent some time thinking about that very thing this morning while doing his morning meditation and waiting for Anakin to wake up, and he replied that actually he would very much like to go and explore the other side of the lake – maybe they could take the boat there and go for an adventure. Luke's eyes lit up at the mention of exploring. "Cool! Just like jedi knights finding a new planet! We might find monsters over there… and food that no-one has ever tasted before… and… shickleberries bigger than Leia! "Yes we might" nodded Obi gravely. "Hopefully more of the giant shickleberries and fewer of the monsters, but you'd better be prepared to fight, just in case". " _I'm_ always ready to fight monsters, _I'll_ save you!" declared Leia confidently, reminding Obi-wan a of a certain young boy he had met on Tatooine.

While Obi-wan made a quick trip to nearby Cantara to pick up more supplies, Anakin dragged out the lakehouse's boat, dusted it off and tested that it was fully functional. "Success!" he shouted joyfully when the older jedi came down with the twins to join him at the jetty. They all piled into the boat and set off with Anakin in the driver's seat, using some subtle force manipulations to make the boat go even faster when he thought his former master wasn't looking. Rocketing along, wind in his face, Anakin felt a smidgen of the exhilaration that he had once felt piloting starfighters. Obi-wan could easily sense his joy as it rolled off him, creating storm surges in the force, not mere ripples, and he was happy for the formerly adventurous young man who was now shackled into monotonous routine. The twins were just as fearless as their father, both trying to balance on the very edge of the boat without using their hands for balance. Ever the responsible one, Obi-wan hovered at the ready to catch them if they slipped.

Upon reaching the far side of the lake, Anakin tied up the boat and shouldered a pack carrying their supplies while the twins each grabbed one of Obi-wan's hands and dragged him into the forest. As they walked along, stopping frequently to investigate interesting plants and quirky animals they had never seen before, the kids chattered relentlessly to Obi-wan about all the stories their dad had told him about the adventures he and his master had been on together. Anakin deliberately hung back, enjoying the respite from being the one who had to answer every question and respond to every tale. However, as they continued he grew increasingly uncomfortable, as it became embarrassingly obvious that the twins had remembered every single story he had told them about Obi-wan – and he had told them many, always making his master the hero of the story. Obi-wan found it most amusing, and was astounded at the level of detail with which Leia regaled him with stories from his own life. He couldn't help but be flattered by how Anakin had obviously raised his kids to see their 'uncle Obi' as some kind of super-jedi, with unlimited powers. He was a little sorry that they were inevitably going to one day work out that actually he was just as human as their father, and had many faults of his own.

They explored widely, from deep rock-pools to exposed hilltops. They didn't find any giant shickleberries but they did find a small village where they bought some tasty sweet nut-like things that were the local delicacy, and when the day began to draw to a close the group made their way back to the boat. Once again Anakin took the helm. Obi-wan wouldn't dream of depriving him of this fleeting delight - after all, this skilled and flying-obsessed former war general hadn't so much as seen the inside of a starfighter for the last three years. That deprivation alone would probably have been punishment enough for Anakin's misdemeanours, Obi-wan reflected. The kids snuggled up in Obi-wan's lap on the way back, worn out from their adventure.

Back at the house, Anakin whipped up some quick sandwiches for Luke and Leia which they picked at listlessly until their father decided that'd do and put them to bed, where they fell asleep the second their heads hit the pillows. Obi-wan moved out onto a couch on the veranda to enjoy the dramatic sunset. The younger jedi sauntered out to join him and collapsed himself onto the floor, leaning his back against the couch with a groan. "That was fun, but _kriff_ I'm tired" he confessed, letting out a yawn. "I feel like I haven't relaxed properly for at least three years, and now my body is trying to make up for lost time." Obi-wan looked over at him, admiring silently how the sunset made the attractive young man's skin glow, emphasising the contrast with his lightly-curled hair and the dark clothes that Anakin had always favoured. He went to speak but hesitated, before cautiously trying again. "I could uh, give you a shoulder massage – that always used to help you relax." Anakin froze as his heart leapt and he battled to stop it from beating so hard that Obi-wan couldn't help but feel it, surely. "Are you sure?" he choked out. Obi-wan nodded. "Of course, I haven't forgotten how to give shoulder massages you know, it hasn't been _that_ long." A shy smile flickered over Anakin's face, then he moved to softly rest his back against the couch between Obi-wan's legs.

Obi-wan caught his breath. This was a _bad_ idea, he couldn't stop his body responding to having Anakin so close, and he sent a quick plea to the force that the fact that his former master was getting turned on would somehow escape Anakin's notice. Obi-wan placed his hands reverently against the smooth tight skin of the younger man's neck, trying to ignore the electrifying sensation trickling up from his fingers as he began rubbing his hands over those muscular shoulders, searching out knots and enticing them to let go and relax. Trying to hold himself together, Anakin took the opportunity to thank Obi-wan for giving him so much help with the kids that day. "They really love being with you, you know. I may have… talked a bit… about you" he admitted. Obi-wan smiled, and assured Anakin there was nothing to thank him for, he enjoyed being with the kids and thought it was cute that they looked up to him as a hero although it was naughty of Anakin to tell lies like that. Anakin was getting tingles down his spine from being touched intimately for the first time in forever. He relaxed back into Obi-wan's gentle hands and sighed with pleasure.

As the young man let his head fall back into Obi-wan's lap, the older man lost himself a little, gazing down at Anakin's sun-streaked tresses, his long eyelashes and his gloriously tanned skin. Since Anakin had willingly moved deeper into his touch he couldn't stop himself from imagining his hands traveling further down that skin, lovingly caressing this beautiful being that had miraculously come back into his life, when he thought he had lost him for good. Captivated by his fantasy, Obi-wan let his shielding slip for one brief moment, which Anakin felt as an unexpected shock-wave of intense emotions. Startled, Anakin tensed up, breaking Obi-wan out of his trance. "S-sorry" Obi-wan stammered, hoping that Anakin had been too relaxed to notice anything unusual.

Anakin felt a glimmer of hope begin to shine unbearably in his heart. It was as if out of nowhere a life-rope had been thrown towards him as one final chance, and he'd be damned if he wasn't going to reach out with all his might to try to grasp it and be pulled out of the dark waters that were in the process of swallowing him. If he could be the 'Hero With No Fear' and take out enemy battle cruisers single-handedly then surely he could be brave enough to tell the man who had once been his best friend how he truly felt. But in honesty this was so much harder – no battle cruiser had the power to break his heart the way Obi-wan did, and he almost shook with nervousness as he turned slightly, to face the older man who could unwittingly crush Anakin into oblivion with just a word.

Obi-wan himself was paranoid that Anakin had sensed the eager twitches of his cock, fearing an outburst of revulsion and the end of any hopes of a relationship that he might have had. His face flushed red and his cheeks burned, but Anakin saw none of this as he fixed his gaze on Obi-wan's eyes and took a deep breath. "Obi-wan please…" he started, haltingly, before breaking into a nervous babble "I can't hold it inside any more… I just can't be around you like this without saying something… please don't hate me… just… let me tell you something I should have told you years ago."

Obi-wan held his breath, he didn't know what Anakin was trying to say but those penetrating blue eyes were mesmerising and he _was so_ close, he could feel the warmth radiating off Anakin's skin and could smell the musky scent of him, the scent he recollected so vividly in his dreams. All of a sudden Anakin summoned the courage to leap past the point of no return. " _Fuck_ it Obi-wan - I love you… Oh gods I _love_ you. I've loved you since I was a teenager…" He kept talking but Obi-wan was in orbit among the stars. This _must_ be a dream, he couldn't really have just heard what he thought he did.

Anakin continued, unable to stop now he had opened himself up. "I knew you'd reject me if you found out. I wasn't allowed to have _any_ attachments let alone be in love with my _master_ – my _male_ master no less." He cringed and turned his head aside. "I needed to love someone, I craved affection, and I foolishly turned to Padme to fill the void although I didn't love her – I didn't even really like her, she was just available and willing." He shook his head hopelessly. "And now look at me – a single father, doing menial temple chores though I'm lucky they didn't just kick me out altogether, and I've brought nothing but shame to the man I'm still helplessly in love with." He laughed bitterly. "What's the point of having the highest midichlorian count in history if you can't control yourself and just end up ruining everything? I'm sorry I'm such a failure, I'm so sorry for everything I've done, I'm sorry I'll never be the jedi you wanted me to be, and I'm grateful that you came with us to play with the kids despite me being such a let-down, they love having you here."

There he stopped, chest heaving with passion as he released all his pent-up feelings, not knowing where to look because he was petrified of seeing Obi-wan react in disgust and push him away, especially now he had briefly experienced the bliss of having him back in his life again.

Obi-wan was stunned. He breathed in deeply several times before replying in a low voice quivering with emotion, looking down at Anakin's hands which were clutching at the hem of his shirt. "You hurt me you know, more than you could ever imagine. When I found out that _you_ were the father of Padme's children… it felt like being disemboweled slowly in front of everyone I knew, and not being able to turn to anyone for solace. It felt like having all my plans for the future crumpled up and set on fire by the one person I'd hoped to share them with. It felt like losing the entire purpose of my life, while having to continue pretending that everything was fine and there was still a reason to get out of bed every day." Anakin dared to look up at him, and saw tears rolling down Obi-wan's face. "Until that moment, I was able to pretend to be a proper jedi with no attachments, while secretly having you be the centre of my universe. As your mission partner I could enjoy your company every day without judgement, all the while fantasising that we were more than mere partners. Ever since you came into my life, everything I did revolved around you, and then you grew into this gorgeous young man and… I loved you in secret, oh how I loved you. I loved watching you act all cocky to the council members. I loved watching your courage in battle and the way you cared for your troops. I even loved watching you pulling your dirty socks off at the end of a long hard day and just throwing them on the floor instead of in the laundry basket like any normal person would".

Anakin straightened up, balancing on his knees between Obi-wan's legs. He moved his hands to the older man's face, wiping away the tears lovingly with his fingers, not daring to breathe in case he broke the spell. He brought his face closer to Obi-wan's, his heart beating so fast he thought it would explode as he processed the words he was hearing.

Obi-wan closed his eyes, re-living all the pain that he had held under wraps for so long. "And then you tore it all down. How could I keep pretending when there were suddenly two little living breathing human beings that proved that you didn't feel the same way about me? That you had loved someone else all along, and that you had kept it a secret from me? When you asked me to come on this holiday, I was in agony. I'd spent three years mastering the act of being a 'proper' jedi that could coldly walk away from you after your revelation without regret or sadness, and here you were revealing to me what a fraud I was. I was torn between desperately hoping that we could somehow be close again and being desperately afraid that I couldn't bear the pain of helping look after the children that always reminded me that you loved someone else." Obi-wan shook, overcome by his feelings.

"I'm sorry" whispered Anakin, so close to Obi-wan now that he could feel his breath on his skin. "There aren't enough words… I can never tell you how sorry I am. I have made so many mistakes... But my biggest mistake was not being brave enough from the start to be honest with you about my true feelings". Obi-wan trembled as Anakin's lips grazed his. "And _my_ biggest mistake, Anakin, was making you believe that you couldn't tell me". Anakin shivered with want as he pressed against Obi-wan's firm torso. "Can we forget the past, just for now?" He took Obi-wan's hands in his and tentatively laced their fingers together. "I love you Obi-wan. Please… if I can't find words to tell you… let me show you?"

Obi-wan responded with a hesitant press of his lips against Anakin's, which was all the answer that the young man needed. He kissed Obi-wan back, gently at first and then with an increasing hunger that took Obi-wan's breath away. His lips left Obi-wan's to trail kisses down his neck, as his hands unlaced themselves to slip under that thin white shirt, tracing delicate paths as Obi-wan shuddered with the sensuousness of it all. The older jedi nuzzled the spot where Anakin's hair faded into soft down at the nape of his neck, as Anakin pushed in closer, craving more skin contact. Obi-wan's hands found their way under that faded black t-shirt to travel down the lithe body within, sending shivers down Anakin's spine while his own hands were traveling everywhere, tantalising Obi-wan with their unpredictability. Once more their lips met, their eyes open this time, gazing deeply into each other's souls as their tongues explored relentlessly, giving and taking and…kriff, never in Obi-wan's wildest dreams had he imagined just how overpowering Anakin's love would be when finally released from its cage.

He felt himself coming undone as Anakin became more demanding with his tongue and his hands. Obi-wan's erection was as hard as durasteel by now and was rubbing deliciously against Anakin's groin as the young jedi pushed him deeper and deeper into the couch. "W-Wait…" Obi-wan stammered. "Why?" breathed Anakin hotly against his cheek, dazed with arousal and wanting more.

"We… people could see us here!" "I really don't care" Anakin replied impatiently, groaning as his own rock-hard cock pressed hard against Obi-wan's groin, his fingers working the knot in the ties that held the man's pale cotton pants on. "Please… let's go inside… I can't…" Anakin relented and stood up, his arousal fully evident as his shorts did a poor job of concealing his raging hard-on. He quietly but insistently pulled Obi-wan towards his bedroom, where he flopped onto the bed and playfully tugged the older man down on top of him.

Asking permission with a glance, Obi-wan carefully pulled off the leather glove that hid Anakin's mechanical arm and tossed it aside. They feverishly undressed each other as they each sought to savour the other man's skin with their tongues. Anakin finally felt Obi-wan's pants loosen, and pulled them off in one motion, his eyes ravenous with lust as he admired the handsome jedi master in all his glory. He took Obi-wan in his mouth, tasting him as he alternately licked and sucked until Obi-wan was close to losing his mind. Determined to not come too soon Obi-wan used the force to flip Anakin over, pinning him to the bed. "I'm pretty sure _that_ use of the force would not be approved by the council, master" Anakin joked seductively as he felt his own pants be removed. He lay still, eyes glazed, as Obi-wan sat back and took in the view of the sexiest jedi knight in the temple, naked with an impressively massive erection – all for him. Obi-wan took Anakin's rigid shaft in his hand, gripping and sliding just so, until Anakin was close to the edge. As Obi-wan put his lips on Anakin's dripping tip, he thought he would shout loud enough to wake everyone on the planet, but managed to keep it in. "Fuck, Obi-wan, oh fuck I want you so much" he swore, reaching down to fondle Obi-wan's ass with his hands while his lover sucked him off. Obi-wan lifted himself up and aggressively claimed Anakin's pretty mouth, before grasping Anakin's hand and pulling it down to wrap their hands around both their cocks together. They mutually wanked, hard and fast, until they both came at the same time, spurting copiously all over each other in their ecstatic release.

After the shudders had finished racking their steaming bodies, the two men collapsed onto the mattress, sticky with cum and totally spent. "Anakin…" Obi-wan sighed. "That was… fucking amazing." Anakin smiled against the other man's cheek as they lay back onto the bed. "Fuck yes. I love you" he said, feeling euphoric that he could finally actually say those words, and what's more, have them reciprocated. "Love you too" Obi-wan mumbled as he breathed in Anakin's scent deeply. After a period of silent serenity Anakin quietly muttered to himself something about the kids coming in later, wiping himself and Obi clean with one of his shirts off the floor, before laying down again beside his lover, pulling up the blanket and falling into a deep contented slumber.

Later in the night, Leia tiptoed to her father's room to seek comfort from a scary dream as she so often did. She crawled up into the bed and snuggled in under his strong arms, feeling safe and warm there. Luke, feeling the absence of his twin, soon followed her and also burrowed into Anakin's embrace. Anakin, well used to this by now, stayed fast asleep. Obi-wan on the other hand woke up when the second midnight visitor joined them. He felt his heart melt at the sight of Anakin, _his_ Anakin, his formerly reckless, impetuous and cocky Anakin Skywalker, cuddling the two sleeping children so gently with his muscular arms, like the caring protective father that he now was. Obi-wan softly tucked the blanket back over Anakin's exposed shoulders, then fell asleep again, utterly at peace.


	4. A Rainy Day

The next morning Anakin woke late and alone to the sound of raindrops against the window and the twittering of the kids out in the lounge. He spent some time relishing his memories from the night before, the marks left from some love-bites on his torso proving that yes, it had actually taken place and wasn't just yet another vivid dream. He rolled over and scratched his leg, allowing himself a brief moment of smugness as he recalled the impressed look on Obi-wan's face when he had seen a turned-on Anakin in his birthday suit for the first time. Not that the man had been any less impressive himself. He could now hear noises from the kitchen, and decided he'd better stop thinking about last night before he got too horny to be decent.

He rolled off the bed, hitting the floor with a thud, pulled on some loose sleep-pants and shuffled to the doorway, cracking open the door quietly, hiding his presence in the force so as to sneak a look at what was going on in the lounge before he was noticed. There was Obi-wan, impeccably neat and tidy as always – how did he _do_ that? - with an apron on, dancing, yes _dancing_ around the dining table delivering pancakes with a flourish to the delighted children. Anakin felt a burst of affection and that he could quite happily just hide here and watch this all day: the three people he cared about most in the galaxy enjoying each other's company.

Being Skywalkers, naturally the twins sensed his presence first, Leia calling out "daddy's up!" and Luke waving with his fork. Obi-wan looked up to see the young jedi watching them, lazily slouched against the bedroom door frame. He felt his stomach flutter as he took in Anakin's disheveled hair, bare torso and low-sitting sleep-pants – how could the man be so ridiculously good-looking with so little effort? Gods, he could be wrapped head-to-toe in a beet sack and he would still more attractive than every finely-dressed man on Coruscant.

Obi-wan had cooked the younglings pancakes shaped like acklays, and Luke reported in a matter of fact tone to Anakin that they were much better than when daddy cooked pancakes since he always burned them. Anakin laughed, acknowledging that it was true, and Obi-wan took the moment to announce that for the rest of this holiday, he would do the cooking. The kids applauded and Anakin just beamed, before putting two and two together to realise that that meant he was going to be on dishing-duty every day. But, he thought to himself, it was definitely worth doing a few measly dishes to have meals cooked by Obi-wan every day.

Leia offered to 'help' with the dishes while Obi-wan took Luke out into the lounge to tease the tangles out of his wayward mop of hair. He smiled to himself as he listened to the vivacious little girl pestering Anakin with incessant questions, and felt a tidal wave of happiness wash over him when she asked "daddy, why was uncle Obi in your bed last night" and he heard Anakin quietly reply "because it is uncle Obi's bed too now, and it makes daddy happy when he's there." He was rapt to hear Leia respond simply "ok. Can I have a pet porg one day?" as if it was totally natural that uncle Obi should start sharing her father's bed. If only adults could be so accepting.

As Anakin was shrugging on a t-shirt a knock came on the door. Luke ran to open it, looking up at a tall Alderaanian woman. "Nadka!" called Anakin with delight, "come on in." "Nadka Sorana, Obi-wan Kenobi. Obi-wan, Nadka" Anakin introduced them and they smiled at each other, Obi-wan feeling completely at ease in this woman's friendly presence. Nadka, it turned out, was the owner of the lakehouse and lived in a townhouse in Cantara. "I got to know Nadka through Padme's family about seven years ago – she knows the whole sodding story and has been my rock over the last few years. She knows every parenting tip in the galaxy!" Nadka dipped her head in acknowledgement of Anakin's words. "Obi-wan is my… old best friend" he paused. "He's a jedi, of course. He was my master when I was training to be a jedi knight. You should see him in action with a lightsaber! He agreed to come on holiday with us, the kids love him and he's an amazing cook…" Realising that he was beginning to babble and that Nadka was no fool, Anakin abruptly stopped talking and beckoned them to take a seat at the table.

With a glint of amusement in her eyes, Nadka eyed Obi-wan approvingly. "Well then you're very welcome, master Kenobi. It has been a tough time for us all due to the war alone, not to mention any additional personal problems. Please make yourself at home and enjoy your time here in our little piece of paradise." Obi-wan thanked her for her kind words and brought over a pot of his favourite lantibban tea, the adults chatting on while the twins played. Some time later, as she prepared to leave, Nadka suggested that Luke and Leia should come and stay with her family one night – her kids were the same age and they were all friends already. "Then you men can have a little time to yourselves for a change" she said with what could almost have been a wink at Anakin. "Oh yes, pleease daddy, can we go and play with them?" cajoled the twins. Anakin chuckled and told Nadka that he appreciated the offer – they didn't have any firm plans for the week yet but it'd be great to meet them for a picnic at the beach in a few days and maybe the kids could go home with Nadka's family afterwards for the night. They parted, agreeing to make arrangements via comlink later on. "For someone who isn't force-sensitive, she always seems uncannily able to read what I'm thinking" Anakin muttered as he closed the door.

Since it was still raining heavily and looked like it was going to stay that way, Obi-wan settled back into his chair and picked up the weighty book he had brought with him – a treatise on the different forms of bureaucratic rule on a range of planets around the galaxy. It would do him good to better understand the full range of governmental systems he may encounter one day. Anakin glanced at the cover over his shoulder – he would never understand how the older jedi could actually read stuff like that. Just reading the cover alone made Anakin want to yawn. He turned back to the model starfighter he'd been piecing together. He'd much rather be outside swimming, sparring, doing _anything_ physical, but this would have to do until the weather improved enough for the others to feel like going out.

As it turned out, the twins had other ideas. They'd hatched a plot between themselves that morning, and as soon as the two jedi had settled into their respective pastimes, they launched their attack. Leia leapt onto Obi-wan's lap from behind, sending his book flying through the air and nearly giving him a heart attack – his ability to perceive the future must be out of practice, he hadn't seen _that_ coming. Luke's target was Anakin. Luckily for Luke he was smart enough to have worked out what would be in store for him if he broke Anakin's starfighter model, so he grabbed hold of the top of Anakin's chair and tipped it over backwards, tumbling his astonished father onto the floor where he found himself sat upon by his cheeky, resolute son.

"You're being so booring!" exclaimed Leia. "Yeah, you told us that you and uncle Obi always have adventures when you're together, but now you're both just… sitting there!" Luke chimed in, in agreement. Obi-wan looked over at Anakin and raised an eyebrow – oh yes, these were Skywalker children through and through. "Well…" started Obi-wan. "Has your father ever told you about the time when we were captured by pirates?" "Noo" the kids gasped, wide-eyed and eager to hear more. "Well, it was a while ago, back when your father and I were generals in the Clone wars. We were on a mission…" Obi-wan slid down onto the floor with the kids as he told the story, his illustrative gestures becoming increasingly dramatic as the tale developed. When he started describing a fierce battle, Anakin joined in by playing the part of the head pirate Hondo Ohnaka, earning him applause from his children. When Obi-wan's story came to an end, Anakin piped up. "Well if you think _that_ was an adventure Obi-wan, what about the time when we were flying our starfighters in a battle and yours was attacked by buzz droids?"

By now all four of them were totally immersed in the imaginary world the two men were describing. When Anakin was telling them how he was doing barrel rolls to escape missiles he scooped Luke up and flew him around like a starfighter. Leia was soon hot on his tails, Obi-wan swooping her around, pretending to avoid enemy starships and ducking explosions. The kids were giggling like crazy, and it infected the men who couldn't help but start laughing themselves as they ran around the house holding the kids above their heads, making rocket noises and almost crashing into light fixtures more than once.

Finally, the adults collapsed into the sofa, crash-landing the children onto their laps. "Oops, crashed again" said Anakin light-heartedly, to which Obi-wan replied "yeah, well that's nothing new" with an affectionate smile at his love. "But you said daddy was the best pilot in the galaxy!" accused Leia, at which Obi-wan ruffled her hair with his hand and replied "and I was telling the truth." Anakin snorted. "But even the best pilots crash a lot when they insist on flying much faster than the galactic code of starship piloting suggests is reasonable for the conditions." "Yeah yeah, do you think the blasted galactic piloting code would be able to save your sorry ass from buzz droids?" countered Anakin with a grin.

Anakin extricated himself from the couch. "I know you said I was forbidden from cooking anymore, but how about I make us all some popped chitnuts? It's honestly the one thing I _can_ cook – my specialty, if you like." Luke and Leia backed him up and told Obi-wan in full seriousness that yes indeed, their father was a master of popping chitnuts. "Master of something, at _last_ " Anakin said to himself just loudly enough for Obi-wan to hear it and smile. After a little while, with the obligatory crashing and banging that seemed to arise whenever Anakin was in the kitchen, he returned with four steaming bowls of treats and Obi-wan had to agree, this was the tastiest thing that had ever resulted from Anakin applying heat to ingredients.

They set the kids up to watch a nice long holovid in the lounge, the littlies now being content to just sit there and munch on their chitnuts. Then the men headed out onto the couch on the veranda, protected from the rain by the overhanging roof. Anakin encouraged Obi-wan to not fret so much about anyone seeing them - after all, the nearest neighbours were miles away - and was pleasantly surprised when Obi-wan did indeed recline back to nestle against Anakin's chest. "Living dangerously, master jedi" he whispered into Obi-wan's ear, giving it a gentle nip before leaning back and enjoying doing absolutely nothing, with the weight of a fully-relaxed Obi-wan pressing against him.

"You know, I never believed this actually would happen" murmured Anakin into Obi-wan's neck, while Obi-wan lazily stroked his fingertips up and down Anakin's flesh arm. "I thought… I thought you might say yes to coming, because you're so kind and I know you enjoy being with children." He paused. "But never in a million years did I imagine that all my dreams would come true like this." He hugged Obi-wan tightly, burrowing his face into that soft golden hair. "Many unexpected things have happened to me in life as well" replied Obi-wan. "Funnily enough, _you_ seem to be the starting point for all of them" he joked before turning serious. "I have felt guilt every day for five years about sending you into Padme's arms… about trying so hard to be the perfect jedi master that I lost my ability to see the reality of what was right in front of me – a young man who desperately wanted to feel approved of and loved and instead only got cold by-the-book lectures on his failings."

Anakin shook his head, a tear involuntarily squeezing out of the corner of his eye. "It wasn't your fault, nothing was your fault. I know it was me who brought this upon myself. But… but I've been _so_ low ever since I was left to raise the kids alone. It's been like being stuck at the bottom of a deep sarlacc pit, with everyone you know and care about up in the light, looking down on you and wondering why you aren't trying harder to climb up out of the pit, but never thinking to pass you a ladder." Obi-wan absorbed his words, beginning to fully understand the crushing sense of abandonment that Anakin had been living with.

The young man continued. "I haven't been able to sleep properly for years from the stress of knowing that it's up to me and me alone to teach these two little beings how to fulfill their potential, while knowing that I _completely_ failed to fulfill my own. You have no idea how I've longed to hear your voice, even if it was to tell me off for dropping my lightsaber yet again, just so it felt like _somebody_ out there cared about me. It became my weekly ritual to pore over the temple's rosters in the hope that your free time might one day match mine, but it seemed like the admin staff were always deliberately offsetting our schedules by a week, just to torment me. I've been so lonely, _so_ lonely, but I've had to put on my everything-is-ok face for the twins every day because they don't deserve to suffer from my mistakes. My children… my gorgeous children… if there is one thing I _don't_ regret, it's that they have come into my life. Until now, they have been the only thing that has kept me from falling." "Falling?" asked Obi-wan. "I've felt... the dark side calling to me, Obi-wan" Anakin hesitantly admitted, a note of fear coming into his voice. "It beckons to me, promising me the power to change my life, to make it the way I want it to be" he whispered. "I've been fighting it for years, but it's only getting harder to resist, and I'm afraid that one day I'll give in."

Obi-wan turned on his side so he could see Anakin's face, and wrapped his arms around him, wanting to hug the past away and make Anakin feel just how loved he truly was. "I'm so sorry I didn't come to visit you. I could have, I know that. I just… I just felt so rejected… so hurt… and I'll admit that at first I felt a very un-jedi-like emotion. I wanted you to feel the same misery that you'd unknowingly inflicted on me. I'm ashamed to say it, but it's true. And then… work and the daily grind of life just took over and it never seemed the right time to make contact with you. If I'm honest, I was just too scared of the pain of seeing you again. When you called my name that day that you invited me here, my heart leapt so high I swear I thought I was going to have to see a medidroid. But I also never imagined that all _my_ dreams would come true if I came with you. I love your kids Anakin, they are so full of energy and joy, so unsullied and open. And I love _you_ , Anakin." He tenderly touched his fingers to Anakin's chin. "I've thought it a thousand times... but I've never told you to your face just how staggeringly handsome you are."

Anakin looked away, embarrassed. Obi-wan persevered "it's true, your skin is so smooth and perfectly tanned, your hair is just made for me to run my hands through, your lips make my spine tingle with every word you say, your scar…" he caressed the mark crossing Anakin's right eye "…your scar is just proof of the courageous way you fight to protect those weaker than yourself, and your eyes… oh gods, your eyes… I could _drown_ in your eyes." He sighed, gazing with desire into those very eyes.

"Only when I'm with you do I feel safe, Obi-wan" Anakin professed in response. "I see you come into a room and it lights up – everyone wants to be with you, you make everyone feel happier somehow." His mood lightened, and he broke into a grin. "And kriff, you think _I'm_ attractive? You have no idea how sexy you look when you confidently shrug off your robe all over the place, like you own the galaxy." As if to emphasise his point, he shifted his hand to stroke Obi-wan's inner thigh, feeling warmth rising deep inside him. Right at that moment a banto-bird cried out shrilly from a tree nearby, abruptly reminding the two jedi that it was, in fact, only the afternoon and they had better not get too carried away because that holovid wasn't going to last forever.

Moving inside, the men joined the kids in the lounge and enjoyed the rest of a relaxing uneventful afternoon, Obi-wan making plans for the next day's activities. He wouldn't tell the Skywalkers what he was scheming, but he kept writing in a notebook and looking things up on his datapad. Anakin amazingly managed to hold back from pressing him to explain what he was up to, looking forward to the surprise of whatever he had in store. After a gourmet meal a la Kenobi for dinner, Anakin tucked the twins into bed, reading them a story until they fell asleep.

Walking back into the lounge where Obi-wan was back reading his brick of a book, Anakin felt a little awkward. Yesterday they had just kind of ended up in his bedroom, but did that mean that they would share the same bed every night now? Or should he just go to bed and then go to Obi-wan later? Maybe Obi-wan just wanted to sleep by himself tonight? "Um… do you wanna…" he shyly gestured with his hand at his bedroom door. "I'll be right there, Anakin" said Obi-wan absent-mindedly as he finished a chapter. "Just have to go to the fresher first." "Oh ok then" Anakin replied, relieved that that was easily settled. He headed into his bedroom and dived under the blanket.

"You know, if this is now _our_ bedroom, by rights I should have some say in the organisation of clothing and floorspace" Obi-wan declared as he squeezed through the door that was partly blocked by a pile of clothing. "Did you unpack by triggering a bomb in your suitcase, perchance?" Anakin just laughed at Obi-wan's indignation. "Yep, that's exactly how I unpacked, far more efficient than doing it manually." "One of these days I will teach you how to be civilised" Obi-wan muttered as he undressed and slid in beside Anakin, who was hiding under the blankets waiting to pounce when his prey was in range. He was about to make his move, when he sensed that Luke was toddling towards the room. Sure enough, the door squeaked open and a plaintive little voice called his name. "What is it is, son?" he asked. "I need a glass of water." With his voice muffled through the blankets Anakin reminded Luke that he was old enough now that he could get his own water, and then to go back to bed. Luke nodded, padded out of the bedroom to collect his drink and made his way back to his own room.

"Right, where were we?" Anakin turned back to his intended victim, burrowing through the blankets until his lips made contact with his lover's broad chest, dotting playful little kisses past his collarbone and up his neck until at last he planted a kiss onto Obi-wan's mouth, following it up with a deeper, more passionate kiss which elicited a soft moan from the older man. Obi-wan wrapped his arms around Anakin, letting his hands slip slowly down the supple skin on his back until they were caressing the top of his firm buttocks, gently grazing over the cleft that led to places Obi-wan felt a thrill of anticipation about exploring. They could feel each other's cocks stiffening more with every kiss.

Anakin was just about to move his delectable lips from Obi-wan's mouth to another part of his anatomy in need of urgent attention, when he heard that wretched door squeak again, and froze. "Daddy?" Leia inquired of the pile of blankets that was all she could see in the darkened room. "What is it honey?" "I can't find Quinto." Anakin sighed. Quinto was Leia's stuffed porg that she slept with every night. He remembered that she'd had it on the couch when they were watching that holovid, hopefully it was still there so he wouldn't have to do a grid-search of the entire house to find it. "Try looking on the couch sweetie, I know he was there this afternoon". Leia tottered off to the lounge but obviously couldn't find Quinto as he could sense her growing sadness through the force. "Stang!" Anakin swore as he rolled out of bed, threw on a scuzzy old robe and stomped out of the room to help his daughter find her precious toy. Eventually he found it, behind a pot-plant in the kitchen. 'How did it ever get there?' he wondered, before kissing Leia tenderly on the forehead and sending her shuffling off back to her room.

"Kriffing kids, they do it to me on purpose I swear!" Anakin complained as Obi-wan chuckled, their bodies back off the boil after the lengthy interruption. "Well they didn't burn up much energy today, so no wonder they're full of beans now. But I have an excellent plan up my sleeve for tomorrow that will leave them so worn out that we would be able to invite the whole village and have an orgy without them waking up." "Now _there's_ an idea" said Anakin, resting his head on Obi-wan's arm as they lay side-by-side, staring at the ceiling.

"Do you realise that I'm over forty now?" stated Obi-wan, out of the blue. "Wha… where did that come from?" responded Anakin. "No I hadn't realised, but I'm sure I could have worked it out, even if maths never was my strong subject… I'm twenty-five, I know you're sixteen years older than me, which makes you… forty-one." Anakin turned his head to face his lover. "But I _really_ don't give a shit." Obi-wan made a hmm sound in his throat. Anakin let out a disbelieving scoff. "Oh come on! Don't start fretting over your age! Who cares? _I_ don't! At forty-one you are far sexier than anyone half your age that I've met – and no doubt over those years you've picked up some skills that I might… enjoy…" he finished, brushing his hand suggestively over Obi-wan's thigh.

Obi-wan felt his body respond instantly to Anakin's touch, but as he went to reciprocate he felt Anakin freeze again. "Daddy?" Anakin cursed, he hadn't even noticed the door open this time. "Yes Luke?" "I think there's a gundark under my bed." Anakin gave up – this night was not going to be one of passion. He was just going to have to make up for it the next day. He carried Luke back to his room, vanquished all the gundarks from under the bed, and lay down beside his little boy until they both fell soundly asleep. Obi-wan snuggled into Anakin's pillows, savouring the scent of Anakin that permeated everything – sweet and fresh, like lying on a lawn on a summer's day. Dreaming of the adventures they were going to have tomorrow, both in and out of the bedroom, he also fell into a deep sleep.


	5. A Trip To The Zoo

Anakin awoke to the sensation of Luke playing with his mechanical arm. He cracked open his eyelids to watch his little boy as he investigated the intricate machinery, trying to work out what held it all together. "Hey little guy, that's one machine you aren't allowed to pull apart, otherwise I won't be able to push you high on the swings anymore" he murmured sleepily against Luke's thatch of golden locks. Luke prodded at the shiny plates of durasteel that protected the inner workings. "Can I have an arm like this when I grow up, daddy?" Anakin chuckled at his boy's innocence. "Not if I can help it, son." Luke pouted. "When you grow up, you'll be so strong in the force that you'll be able to beat me in an arm-wrestle even without any fancy metal bits" Anakin promised, which cheered the boy up.

They got up, Anakin dressing his son in a matching t-shirt and shorts with cartoon speeders on them, himself still wearing his clothes from the night before that he'd slept in, and went out to the lounge to join Leia and Obi-wan. Leia was sitting on Obi-wan's lap, peering at a piece of paper he had laid out in front of her. "Oh Anakin, _please_ go and get dressed in some _clean_ clothes for once, we're going out in public today" Obi-wan chided the half-awake man as he came up close and leaned over Obi-wan's shoulder to see what was on the paper. "We're going to a zoo!" Leia announced to Luke with excitement. "Look at all the cool animals uncle Obi says we'll get to see!"

Anakin grinned when he saw the carefully drawn-up time schedule and map Obi-wan had made of all the zoo's enclosures and which order they should visit them in to make the most efficient use of their time walking, yet also to be at each enclosure at the time of day when any given species' most interesting behaviour was likely to be on display. "Only _you_ could turn a zoo visit into a military procedure" he said, pinching the skin on the back of Obi-wan's neck fondly. "Well we don't want to miss when they feed the dianogas, do we?" Obi-wan asked Leia, who shook her head vehemently. "Or miss the chance to see a kaadu mating display." "Of course, replied Anakin cheerily, helping himself to the breakfast that Obi-wan had laid out on the table. "I'll follow all of your instructions with precision today, just wait and see." "Now why do I not believe that for a second somehow?" replied Obi-wan with a feigned sigh of resignation.

Just as Anakin put the last spoonful of koonies into his mouth, Obi-wan leapt into action. "Right, well our first appointment is at 0900 hours with the shuttle that goes to the zoo. I'm ready to go – I packed my bag yesterday – and it looks like young Luke and Leia are fully dressed and just need to clean their teeth before they're ready to go… but you, my friend…" He looked Anakin over appraisingly. "I think the zookeepers would lock you up, mistaking you for an eopie if you don't have a wash." "All right, all right, patience!" Anakin protested. "I'm heading to the fresher right now." "You have precisely twelve minutes" called the older man through the fresher door as it closed.

Forty-five minutes later, they sat waiting for the _next_ shuttle to come along after missing the first one when Anakin couldn't find either his shoes or a belt to hold his pants up. Obi-wan did some quick sums in his notebook. "Well, I'm afraid the delay means that we most likely won't get to view the mid-morning maturation dance of the greater double-nosed nuna" he reported dolefully. "Ah, but on the positive side it means all the other innocent zoo-goers won't have to view the mid-morning pants-falling-off dance of the greater single-nosed Anakin" his companion reminded him with a smile, and Obi-wan had to agree that that was probably for the best. Luke and Leia were sharing Obi-wan's datapad, reading up on their favourite animals that they hoped to see.

Soon enough the shuttle came and zoomed them to the zoo, where the queue for tickets was mercifully short. "Well, we've made up six minutes of lost time thanks to that most efficient ticket vendor" Obi-wan said appreciatively as perused his map. "So, according to my plan we should go in this direction…" he tailed off as he looked up and realised that none of the Skywalkers were standing beside him anymore, let alone paying him any attention. "Hey!" he said peevishly as he spotted Anakin trying to tickle a furry creature that hung off a tree a few metres away to the right, while Luke and Leia had wandered off in the opposite direction and were trying to climb a fence to see what was in the big pit with lots of warning signs around it.

"Oh, sorry Obi-wan – check out this little tuntwat from Iego, have you ever seen anything that you wanted to cuddle more? Apart from yours truly, of course" he grinned cheekily. Obi-wan huffed "I'll tun your twat if you keep messing up my plan today, we have a lot to get through." Anakin left the tuntwat reluctantly and moved to Obi-wan's side. "I'm sorry Obi-wan. You should try to just chill out a bit though, we're here to have fun aren't we? But ok, yep lets follow your plan." "Well I think a good plan right now would be for you to prevent your children from sacrificing themselves to those nexus over there!" Obi-wan said, pointing as he suddenly realised what was in the enclosure the twins were adamant on getting a good view of. "Son of a sarlacc!" cursed Anakin as he ran over to pry his protesting younglings from near the top of the fence. "You two will be the death of me" he said, leading them back to Obi-wan, where they regrouped and set off to follow the well-considered plan of master Kenobi.

As the kids laughed at the antics of some herds of shaaks, Obi-wan handed Anakin his bag, jacket and map while he popped over to the public fresher. As it turned out, the nearest one was broken, and by the time he found a functional one, waited in line, and made his way back to where he'd left the others, they'd moved on. Sensing Anakin down towards the porg aviaries, he headed in that direction. From afar, he spied the tall young jedi, as usual strikingly clothed in colours so dark they might as well have been black, and slowed down so he could admire his lover's physique and magnetic presence in the force as he sauntered towards him. Anakin now had a twin on each of his broad shoulders, their chubby little hands entwined in his unruly hair as he balanced them while reading the sign with information on porg ecology.

"There you are!" Obi-wan announced his return. "Hey did you know that baby porgs are called porglets? And that a group of porgs is called a 'frown' of porgs? Who knew?" "Fascinating" Obi-wan replied sincerely. "As much as I'm enjoying your display of strength and poise, why don't I take Leia on my shoulders now? That way we can walk between the next enclosures at an adult pace and hopefully make the lunch spot on schedule." Anakin laughed at the older man's determination to make this zoo trip run like clockwork, but agreed that it was a good idea, and Leia happily clambered from her father's shoulder to those of her hero uncle Obi.

"Right, so what's next on the map?" inquired Obi-wan. "The map?" "You know, that map that I carefully placed in your hand a maximum of fifteen minutes ago." "Oh, er… uh…" Anakin patted at his pockets, checked his son's hands, looked at the ground around them. "I uh… well I didn't lose your bag and jacket!" he proffered, holding the two items out towards Obi-wan triumphantly as proof of his achievement. Obi-wan just shook his head ruefully. "Some things never change." Anakin waved his hand in the air dismissively. "Pah, we didn't need the map anyway, let's just do what we do best and act spontaneously! Which way do we need to go next Luke?" Luke confidently pointed towards a solid building that looked like it might house animals from an ice planet. "Decided. That way it is!" With no-one else around them here, Anakin briefly took Obi-wan's hand as they wandered onwards. Both men savoured that tiny open display of affection for a few minutes, before letting go as they neared a group of other zoo visitors.

On reaching the lunch spot, Anakin briefly wondered when Obi-wan had found time to make a picnic for today – he hadn't seen him put anything together. But he was in for a surprise. "Well if you hadn't inexplicably lost my map and schedule then you would have seen the entry '1230 hours: food from zoo kiosk for lunch'. I thought we could treat ourselves and the kids and have some good old-fashioned junk food." Anakin couldn't believe his ears – master Kenobi suggesting junk food as an option? Never! "Yippee!" crowed the twins, Leia telling Obi-wan as they walked towards the kiosk that "daddy always makes us eat boring vegetables, he says it will make us grow up strong but I think I could be just as strong if I only ate ice-cream." Obi-wan told her that her daddy was right and that this was just for a special treat, but on the inside he was amused. Anakin had always used to just wolf down whatever unhealthy snacks were to hand, and would happily have lived off ice-cream alone if allowed. He was proud of Anakin for trying so hard to be a responsible father, and would have to try to remember to tell him so later on - giving praise to Anakin had never been one of his own strong points, but better late than never.

After getting some food into their bellies the twins were re-energised, and scampered between the remaining enclosures with their father hot on their heels, exhibiting that youthful effervescence of his that Obi-wan had always found so charming. Towards the end of the day, as the kids started winding down again, the men stood side-by-side at the suubatar enclosure. As they stood there gazing at the herd, a male suubatar chose to begin mating loudly and vigorously with a female right near the viewing platform. Curious, Luke turned to uncle Obi and asked what they were doing, the jedi master replying that they were just making baby suubatars.

While the twins watched in fascination, Anakin leaned in to Obi-wan's ear and whispered suggestively "I want _you…_ to take _me…_ just like _that,_ tonight." Obi-wan jolted at the images Anakin sent him through the force and stuttered "A-Anakin no! W-we're in public!" "Anakin, _yes_!" the possessor of those entrancing blue eyes retorted, smirking, not caring where they were or who heard what. Obi-wan bashfully stepped back from the intensity of his provocative partner, self-consciously shepherding him and his littlies away to visit the last enclosure before it was time to catch a shuttle back home.

While they waited for the shuttle, Luke and Leia happily chattered away to their uncle Obi, telling him all the new facts they had learnt about animals. While Anakin made a brief trip to a fresher, Leia paused her chatter and suddenly gave Obi-wan a big hug. "What's that for Leia?" he asked in surprise. "Thank you uncle Obi for the junk food… and for making daddy happy" she gazed up at him innocently. "We like it when daddy's happy, it feels like the whole planet is singing". As was so often the case, Leia spoke for both herself and her quieter brother. Obi-wan gathered them both up in his arms and said, in a low voice, "Well thank you Leia. I'm also glad that your daddy is happy and I'm glad to be here with you. I hope you had fun today." As Anakin made his way back from the fresher he had to pause to clear the lump that arose in his throat when he spotted his former master cuddling his children, completely absorbed in talking to them. The planet itself may not have been singing but the young father's heart certainly was.

Obi-wan disembarked the shuttle a few stops early to pick up food and supplies while Anakin took the twins home to give them a bath. Later, after a much healthier dinner than their lunch, the kids fell asleep in their chairs, completely tuckered out from all the running around they'd done at the zoo. Obi-wan carried them to bed and tucked them in gently. "Well I don't think they'll be waking up in a hurry" he said to Anakin as he returned to the lounge. "Oh really?" replied Anakin, pretending to be ignorant of what the older man was hinting at as he moved closer to where Anakin was leaning against the chiller. "That's good, you might get to finish chapter one-hundred-and-fifty-nine of Longest Book Ever Written About Impossibly Uninteresting Subject." "Yes, you're quite right" Obi-wan said serenely, taking Anakin's hands in his and looking deeply into his eyes. "Or I could make a start on another detailed plan for you to mess up tomorrow." Anakin let his fingers lace themselves through Obi-wan's, enjoying the sensation of the other man pressing closer, gradually pushing him back against the wall.

"Or you could mend my ripped pants so that you can take me out in public without feeling ashamed of the company you hold." Obi-wan rubbed his bearded chin against the soft, supple skin of Anakin's neck, releasing Anakin's hands and moving his own down around the curve of the younger man's lovely backside. "Hmm, yes maybe… Or maybe I could just _burn_ your ripped pants so that you can never leave this house again and I just get to ravish you all day, every day" he breathed, Anakin feeling his words on his skin more than hearing them.

The two men were now tightly jammed up against the wall, Anakin's hands trailing down his lover's back, burrowing under his shirt and seeking more, his lips sweetly pushing golden locks aside to allow him to nuzzle Obi-wan's smooth forehead before moving downwards. "I… think I like that idea the most" he sighed, his eyes slipping shut briefly and his mouth releasing a moan as he felt Obi-wan's cock swell and push into his groin, Anakin's hips instinctively bucking into the pressure. "Just ravish me anyway, Obi-wan. Ravish me _now_ " he demanded, his mesmerising eyes locking onto Obi-wan's gaze and rendering him helpless to resist. However, decades of training did allow the jedi master to rein in his lust for just long enough to make a suggestion. "I think… that we would be best off in the bedroom… just in case your little ones aren't quite as out to the world as we think they are."

Anakin grabbed his hand brusquely and tugged him towards the bedroom, Obi-wan pausing briefly to rummage through the shopping bags. "What are you getting?" "Oh nothing… just some supplies that might come in handy." He flashed the bottle of lube in his hand at Anakin, who leered. "Always prepared." "Well you did make a pretty specific demand this afternoon Anakin, if you recall." "Oh yeah, I _definitely_ recall." Anakin smirked as he palmed the bedroom door locked. He would be able to feel it through the force if the kids really needed him, he justified. And anyway, he _needed_ this.

Anakin shoved Obi-wan roughly down onto the bed and pounced on top, pinning his lover down against the mattress and showering him with kisses all over as he pulled off his pale shirt to reveal the strong body beneath. His own shirt was being rolled up and over his shoulders by tantalising fingers, as Anakin moved downwards to run the tip of his tongue along where Obi-wan's pants met his skin and over the patch of downy hair that peeked out, hinting at the hidden delights. Obi-wan grabbed Anakin by the shoulders and flipped him over, pulling him up so their lips met and they kissed urgently, consumed by desire. Obi-wan then let his lips wander down Anakin's body, nipping at his skin gently along the way before rolling Anakin over beneath him so that the young man was lying on his stomach.

"I do believe you had a request for tonight's entertainment" he murmured, pressing his cheek against Anakin's and letting his body-weight rest on Anakin's back. "Mmhmm" was all Anakin could muster and Obi-wan laughed seductively, drawing back to curl his fingers around the edge of Anakin's pants, easing them down slowly, erotically, to reveal that beautiful pert backside that he had been lusting over for as long as he could remember. He called the lube to his hand, and moved back to lay beside Anakin as he squeezed a liberal amount onto his forefingers. He worked his fingers along Anakin's baby soft cleft, finding his entrance and carefully exploring it. "You like that?" he asked softly. "Oh fuck Obi-wan" Anakin choked out, lost in the overwhelming sensation. "Give me more." Obi-wan's fingers gently probed their way in deeper, sending Anakin into a trance with their magical movements – he had never imagined that making love with Obi-wan could feel quite this good.

Obi-wan's cock was throbbing hard in anticipation of what was to come, as he loosened up Anakin's tight little ass in preparation. He knew Anakin was a virgin in this sense, unlike he himself who had had a thing going with Quinlan back when he was Anakin's age - the more worldly Quinlan being the one who had taught him the ways of making love to another man. Since then he had never had an actual relationship, but had satisfied his sexual needs with many of the ubiquitous callboys that could be found in the nether regions of Coruscant. He knew what to do, and he also knew to take it easy on his precious love so that his first experience would be a good one – regardless of what the man _thought_ he wanted.

When Obi-wan was satisfied that Anakin was ready, he released his grip, Anakin whimpering at the sudden loss, and brought a hand up to caress the younger man's face. He looked into Anakin's arresting blue eyes, currently glazed over with want. "You want me to fuck you like a suubatar, pretty boy?" "Yes… please…" Anakin begged. "I'll fuck you any way you want, but… for our first time together… I've always imagined that I would be able to see your face." Anakin was speechless with arousal at the thought that his master had secretly been imagining this very scene for all those years. "Ok" he whispered. "Sit up" Obi-wan ordered, and used his strong hands to manipulate Anakin into straddling him, the young jedi's extremely engorged member protruding erotically over Obi-wan's chest.

Obi-wan was finding it hard to concentrate at the stimulating sight of Anakin straddling him naked, waving his impressive erection in his face. He lifted Anakin up and positioned the tip of his own rock-hard cock into the slippery entrance, before letting Anakin's weight sink down, gently pushing him onto Obi-wan. Anakin gasped, his eyes rolling back at the intensity of being penetrated. As Obi-wan slowly forced his length deeper and deeper into him he felt like Obi-wan was filling him entirely, the sensation more overpowering than he had ever dreamed of. Obi-wan grunted as Anakin's hot tightness enveloped him, gritting his teeth as he controlled his urge to plunge in fully in one hard thrust.

"Is that good?" Obi-wan whispered intensely, watching Anakin's face for any sign of pain, but seeing only pleasure. "Kriffing hells Obi-wan, don't stop… I want _more_ " With that passionate request, Obi-wan lifted Anakin up again until only his tip remained inside his panting love, then let the young man's body slide back down, grinding into him hard and drawing moans of ecstasy. The two men built up a rhythm, slow but powerful, eyes open to take in every moment of their new intimacy. As they both drew closer to climax Anakin dug his fingers into Obi-wan's backside, pulling him upwards to ram that rigid piston of a cock as deep inside his ass as he could. Obi-wan could tell when Anakin was coming close to release as he felt the young jedi's shielding completely unravel, his formidable force energy shining with a light so bright it was blinding. Just when he felt that he himself couldn't hold it in anymore the younger man came with a stifled cry, spilling his hot white spunk all over Obi-wan's chest as Obi-wan allowed himself to also tip over the edge, trembling with bliss as he ejaculated forcefully deep inside Anakin, clasping him by the waist and holding him tight.

The force gradually ceased to swirl wildly, the lovers eventually relinquishing their grips on each other. Obi-wan slipped out of Anakin who lay down on top of him and kissed him tenderly on the lips. "I never realised the suubatars had it so good" he whispered, eyeing Obi-wan's face adoringly before laying his head down and snuggling his mop of curls into the older man's shoulder. "I don't know about that… I'm pretty sure I'd rather fuck you than a suubatar" murmured Obi-wan into Anakin's hair, burrowing his lips into the soft locks as he spoke. "Mmm… that's good to know…" replied Anakin as they drifted off to sleep, skin to skin, utterly serene.


	6. Thrills And Spills

The next day, unbelievably, the men were the first ones up – they really must have worn the kids out at the zoo. Anakin was glad of it, for they were in a bit of an uncivilised state, both covered with dried-up cum and lube, not to mention the bite marks and hickies that were luckily in places that weren't visible when one had clothes on. They took the opportunity to clean up in the fresher together, Obi-wan enjoying the insatiability of the younger man who had of course boned up as soon as Obi -wan stepped under the rush of hot water with him. A short while later and they were ready to face the day, fresh, clean and glowing with sexual satisfaction. Anakin even had clean clothes on, Obi-wan having threatened to not touch him again unless he finally did some laundry.

Anakin wandered down the hall to the kids' room and stuck his head through the doorway. He broke into a smile as he saw the two little fluffy heads nestled into their pillows – his children. _His_ children, and no-one could take them away from him. He sneaked up to Leia's bed and stroked her forehead softly with his fingertips. "Wake up honey" he crooned quietly as her eyelids fluttered at his touch. "Time to get up sleepyhead' he smiled, planting a gentle kiss on her head before moving over to where Luke lay peacefully, repeating the process until he eventually had two groggy younglings in his arms. He cuddled them tenderly, helping them get dressed and admiring the flawlessness of their youthful skin – how could he have created these entrancing little creatures from nothing? From… the thick goop that had spurted out of him so crudely that morning and last night? He shook his head at the incredible feat that was reproduction, and carried the twins out to the breakfast table where Obi-wan had laid out another feast.

"So today it's my turn to have the plan!" exclaimed Anakin as he sat down at the table, reaching for the plate of pancakes. "Oh dear, what are we in for now?" remarked Obi-wan, grinning at the twins who beamed back. "It's the best plan ever" continued Anakin with his usual humility. " _We_ are going to the theme park!" The kids whooped with excitement. "I want to go on the rollertoaster daddy!" "I want to go on the ferris wheel" "yeah, and I want to see the ghosts…" The twins nattered on, not giving either of the men the chance to butt in and let Leia know that it was actually roller _coaster,_ but their enthusiasm was contagious. Anakin was probably the most excited of them all – he really was just a little kid inside a man's body Obi-wan decided, so any reservations Obi-wan might have had about the value of flinging themselves around in little pods all day went out the window.

Anakin insisted that Obi-wan relax today and he would take charge of everything, as compensation for messing up his plan the day before. This extended to Anakin insisting on preparing their lunch himself – how hard could it be to throw together a picnic when Obi-wan had stocked the chiller so thoroughly the evening before? Obi-wan gave up on arguing, but tucked a big solid dindra cake into his bag when Anakin wasn't looking – just in case. Not only that, but Anakin had found the shuttle trip far too slow for his tastes the day before, so he had gone and rented an X34 landspeeder to fly them to the theme park himself. Obi-wan caught him running his hands dreamily along the sleek bodywork of the speeder, and felt sorry for him – when was the last time this gifted pilot had had the chance to perform the skilled acrobatic manoeuvres at breakneck speed that used to be his forte? Anakin snapped out of his reverie, and noticed his 'family' - as he had started thinking of Obi-wan and the kids – watching and waiting patiently for him in their seats. He cleared his throat, as if he had been caught in some lewd act. "Right, ok, yes, well then, off we go" he prattled as he hopped into the pilot's seat.

"Let's see what this girl can do" he said as he took off from the lakehouse and headed in the direction of Poltaria, where the theme park was. Fortunately this part of Alderaan was a no-limit flight speed zone since it was so sparsely inhabited – just another reason to love it here. Obi-wan's knuckles paled as he gripped the armrest when Anakin pushed the speeder to her maximum, the land zooming by as he ducked and dived just for the sheer joy of it. Luke and Leia's faces glowed with exhilaration, obviously they had inherited that daredevil streak of their father's. Obi-wan glanced over at his companion, noting that although he was clearly concentrating and would never put his kids at risk, he was also loving every second of this brief taste of his former life. Checking that everyone was strapped in, Anakin did a tight barrel-roll just before they neared the outskirts of town where he'd have to slow down. Obi-wan gave him an affectionate rub on the shoulder as he pulled the speeder back to a more sedate pace. "I didn't think landspeeders could do barrel rolls" he chuckled. "They can when _I_ fly them" replied Anakin with a grin. "Some things never change" the older man said, smiling as Anakin laughed. "Do you mean my ability to make spacecraft do things beyond their limits, or my supreme confidence in that ability?" "Both, of course" Obi-wan retorted, while marveling that Anakin had at some point matured enough to recognise when he was being cocky – although to be frank, his confidence in his abilities was usually well-founded. "The day I stop wanting to fly at top speed will be the day I die" the young man said firmly. "That's exactly what I'm afraid of" replied Obi-wan before changing the subject. The four of them animatedly discussed which rides to do first for the short remainder of the trip.

Once inside the park, they headed for the ride that they'd unanimously decided should be the warm-up: the pirate ship. "Doesn't look that scary" said Obi-wan as they climbed onboard. "Look, it doesn't even have seatbelts, just a handrail, it really must be quite tame". Anakin and the kids looked sideways at each other knowingly – they knew exactly what to expect, since they'd visited the theme park when they were here last year too with Nadka and her family. "Yep sure, super tame" agreed Anakin as all the other passengers climbed on board and the ship started to swing. It swung higher and higher each time as, until Obi-wan swore it was about to do a full loop-the-loop and send them all crashing down to the ground far below. He was holding on to the handrail with a death grip, ready to call on the force to save them all, when he looked across and saw the Skywalkers all enthusiastically waving their hands in the air at the peak of each swing! "Incredible" he muttered to himself, wondering what it felt like to only truly enjoy yourself when you were on the brink of catastrophe, as Anakin and his offspring obviously did.

"What did you think of that old man?" asked Anakin cheerily as they disembarked. "A bit… tame" replied Obi-wan, still feeling like the ground was moving. "We saw you holding on uncle Obi!" giggled Leia. "You can let go, you won't fall out, daddy said so" Luke told him earnestly. "Did he now? Lucky your daddy is never wrong then" Obi-wan said, raising an eyebrow at the young jedi who had scooped Luke up to give him a piggy-back. "That's correct" confirmed Anakin in mock seriousness before breaking into a grin at his former master. Obi-wan lifted Leia onto his back and they moved on to the next ride on their wish-list.

Several rollercoasters later, Obi-wan was ready to have a break and spend some time on solid ground for a while. Anakin and the twins still had an appetite for a few more rides before they stopped for lunch, so they left the jedi master to his book, sitting on the grass leaning up against a lush pesupesu tree. The twins ran ahead with Anakin jogging along behind them, enjoying letting them have the freedom to lead him wherever they wanted.

Once they'd had their fill of thrills and were ready for some food, they headed back to where they'd left Obi-wan. As they neared him, Anakin appreciated the way the sunlight glinted off the older jedi's golden-russet hair and his usual layers of off-white clothing. The effect was to make him look as if he was radiating sunlight - to Anakin, the man lit up every room that he entered, dazzling him with his quiet confidence and his purity in the force. He still couldn't fathom what such an accomplished jedi master saw in _him_ , but kriff, he wasn't going to question it.

As the tall young man drew close with his two munchkins in tow Obi-wan lifted his head and acknowledged their arrival. "Ready for some lunch?" "That's for sure" Anakin replied as he sat down and started pulling items from his bag. "So what culinary delights have you brought for us today, good sir?" Anakin finished placing out his collection with a flourish. "There we go, a wide selection that should suit all appetites".

Obi-wan picked up the nearest jar and read the label, his stomach sinking as he worked out the contents. 'Surely not' he thought to himself as he hastily put back that jar and reached for another. Anakin watched, his buoyant mood faltering. "What's in them, uncle Obi?" asked Luke as Obi-wan frowned. Obi-wan glanced at Anakin, who was by now looking crestfallen at Obi-wan's underwhelming reaction to his offerings. "Uh, Anakin?" "Yes?" said Anakin hopefully. "Did you uh, _read_ any of the labels when you grabbed these?" "Well no, not really" the young man admitted. "They were in the chiller and it's all food in there right? So I figured as long as I brought enough of them there would be something for everyone" he continued, a little defensively.

"Well, sort of… I'm sorry Anakin but you see, these are indeed edible, but they are ingredients rather than things you can eat instantly. Kind of like how you can't fly a single wing or a loose hyper-drive core, you need the whole starship". Anakin crossed his arms, ready to argue. "See here, this one is stomach juice from a shaak. _Great_ for making delicious shaak-milk cheese, but bloody awful to put in your mouth!" He grabbed another container "What have we here? Ah yes, mindafruit concentrate. Lovely for adding zing to a stew but would blow your boots to Coruscant if you tried to eat a spoonful of it"

"I thought… I thought that if I didn't actually _cook_ anything then I couldn't get it wrong" Anakin muttered dejectedly, looking down at his lap. "That's what I get for letting masterchef here do the grocery shopping". "It's ok young Skywalker, you'll learn. I honestly don't know how all three of you haven't starved to death without me around to feed you!" "Ha, neither do I" admitted Anakin. " _However_ , this is your lucky day my friend, because uncle Obi might just happen to have a big juicy dindra cake in his bag!"

The twins applauded as he drew out the moist and delicious cake and broke off a sizeable chunk for each of them. As he passed a chunk to Anakin he deliberately brushed their hands together to comfort the young jedi, who he knew always took any minor mistake of his own to heart far more than he should. Anakin flashed him a sweet smile of gratitude, sending Obi-wan's heart fluttering – gods, he would do practically _anything_ to keep a smile on that angelic face. After they all finished their cake and the shellava smoothies that Anakin had splurged on to fill any gaps, they packed away the assortment of oddities back into the backpack and moved on to the ghost train. Next came the ferris wheel and the dodgem-speeders which looked like normal speeders but ran on the ground so that kids could pilot them. Despite itching to take control of the one he was sharing with Leia, Anakin kept his urges under control and let his little girl lead the dogfight to out-manoeuvre Luke and Obi-wan.

Leaving the dodgem-speeders the twins ran ahead as usual, but all of a sudden Luke tripped and splatted into the ground where he lay wailing as his father ran to comfort him. "Shh, shh, it's ok little man, daddy will make it better" Anakin whispered to him as he cradled his son in his arms. He rocked him until the boy stopped crying, relaxed and let him inspect the damage. Luke had skinned his knee, a little blood dripping down his leg – nothing out of the ordinary for these rambunctious children. Anakin quickly cleaned it up, finishing off with a bacta strip and a kiss "to fix it properly". Obi-wan stood nearby and noted how all of the women around them had stopped and were watching Anakin with admiration as he obliviously tended to his injured child. 'Let them watch' he thought to himself. ' _That_ wonderful example of a caring father is mine, all _mine.'_ He felt a rush of love for this handsome, passionate and caring young man who for some bizarre reason seemed to want _him_ of all people, forty-one year-old Obi-wan Kenobi, when he could have had his pick of practically anyone on the planet.

Happy again, young Luke clambered onto his father's broad shoulders and they walked over to Obi-wan and Leia. "How about we watch the fireworks show then call it a day?" Anakin asked, Obi-wan agreeing that sounded like a good plan. When they reached the display arena they stood against the railing, a twin squeezed in front of each of them. The two men leaned into each other a little, and Obi-wan put his arm around Anakin's shoulders casually and left it there, comfortable to display this level of affection that could easily be read as a gesture of friendship alone.

The kids were dazzled by the pyrotechnics, the men dazzled by the simple pleasure of being together. Afterwards, Anakin flew them home at a steady clip, efficient and direct, his adrenaline cravings satiated for today. Once at home they demolished another delicious Kenobi-cooked dinner and attempted to play a boardgame on the lounge floor. However, within minutes the lounge was full of sleeping people, Anakin's head resting on Obi-wan's thigh and the twins both curled up at his feet.


	7. A Night Off

The next morning Anakin was rummaging for a clean t-shirt. Realising that he simply didn't have one, he shrugged and pulled on one of Obi-wan's white shirts. Luckily Obi-wan liked his shirts on the loose side, so it fitted the larger-framed jedi just fine. When the shirt's owner spied Anakin emerging from the bedroom he gave a low whistle of appreciation. "You should really wear white more often, it suits you". Anakin shook his head firmly no. "No way, I have my aura of mystique to maintain at the temple, after all." Obi-wan snorted. "Like hell you do - aura of I-have-to-wear-black-to-hide-the-fact-that-I-haven't-washed-my-clothes-for-a-week is more like it". The younger man reached over and pinched his partner's cheek with a smile. "Whatever you say, master".

It was a gorgeous sunny day, after breakfast Obi-wan was lying against Anakin's chest as they lounged on a swingseat on the veranda, keeping tabs on the kids in the garden. Deep rhythmic bass music could be heard from inside the house, Anakin's favourite - although if he had his way it would be cranked right up to max volume. Obi-wan was more of a classical music fan, but as Anakin idly caressed his hair in the time to the mellow beat, he felt so content that Anakin could have played Gungan municipal band celebration marches on repeat and he wouldn't have minded.

He felt the vibration through his body as the man he rested against quietly sang along to part of a song, with a smooth tenor voice that Obi-wan could have listened to all day. Obi-wan was about to doze off, when outraged shouting and crying erupted from the garden and Anakin instantly sat bolt upright, unceremoniously dumping Obi-wan on the floor as he leapt up to attend to the twins "Oh sorry Obi-w… I ah… parent radar… I just gotta check they're ok..."

Obi chuckled in understanding. "It's fine, just go!" He followed behind and watched as Anakin masterfully settled a fight that had erupted over who got to play with a prized yellow starfighter toy. "There, now you can both go and play with these plain old VCX-100 light freighters until you learn how to share the Delta-7B _Aethersprite_ -class light interceptor". Typical Anakin, Obi-wan thought - he had probably started teaching the kids the ins and outs of spacecraft models before they could even walk. The kids grumbled at their dad and each other but took the boring freighter toys and went back to playing together.

The two men headed back to the swingseat, Anakin detouring past the kitchen to grab a couple of cold drinks before returning to plonk himself down beside Obi-wan. He sighed. "Kids! There's always some argument I have to solve, some question I have to answer, some place I have to take them, some problem I have to fix. Sometimes… I just feel like I really don't know what I'm doing, like someone who knows how to parent should take them away from me before they grow up into little menaces!"

Obi-wan burst out laughing, taking Anakin by surprise. "What's so funny?" His former master smiled at him and punched him lightly on the shoulder. "Now you know how I felt being handed the responsibility of turning you into a somewhat decent jedi!" Anakin protested "but I was ten when I became your padawan – I was already halfway there!" At which Obi-wan scoffed, "hardly, at least when you get younglings at birth you can brainwash them into thinking the same way you do". Anakin replied huffily "well go on, show me how easy it is to brainwash them then." "Oh I'm afraid the damage has already been done, with Skywalker genes _and_ being raised by you for five years there's no hope for those two." Obi-wan joked, but instantly regretted it when he saw Anakin's crestfallen face. Surely he must realise he was kidding?

Anakin turned away, and mumbled in a slightly choked voice "yeah, I know. Brought up by a disgraced, undisciplined failure of a jedi like me, they're pretty much screwed already." He kicked his toe repeatedly against the veranda railing and stared at it intently while that old internal monologue started up again, where he berated himself incessantly for all his shortcomings.

Exasperated at the mercurial nature of his partner, Obi-wan reached over to brush a curl away from the man's forehead. Getting no response, he simply put his hands either side of Anakin's face and twisted him so they came face-to-face. "No, you porglet. I. was. Joking." Anakin still didn't look up. "You're a great dad!" he cajoled. "They're lucky to have Skywalker genes, they'll be just as gifted with the force as you are". Anakin snorted derisively. "They'll be incredibly caring and passionate about their friends" Obi-wan continued, then lifted his thumb and gently stroked it along Anakin's bottom lip. "And no doubt they will be just as criminally good-looking as their father, and no-one in the temple will be able to keep their hands off them." At this Anakin finally looked up, his blue eyes flashing through those oh-so-long lashes. " _No-one_ is touching my daughter" he asserted defiantly.

"Ha, made you look!" exclaimed Obi-wan triumphantly, planting a kiss on Anakin's lips before turning serious. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have joked about something that is so important to you, it was insensitive of me. I was being sarcastic, I didn't mean a word I said… I was just trying to tell you… that I know how you feel. I _know_ what it is like to second-guess your every move and to live in the fear that your flaws as a teacher might set a youngling off on the wrong path in life. And I want you to know that I'm here to help you every step of the way."

Anakin acknowledged this with a grateful smile, and nuzzled into Obi-wan's neck. "What would I do without you?" Determined to lighten the mood, Obi-wan leapt up and grabbed Anakin's hand. "You would be nuzzling the armrest of an empty swingseat. Come on, that's enough agonising over our questionable skills at child-rearing, let's go swimming!"

An hour later, they were all at the lake – they could have been there much sooner if Anakin had had his way, being ready to swim in whatever clothes he was wearing and seeing no need to be any better equipped than that, but Obi-wan had other ideas and prepared them all a picnic. Unbeknownst to Anakin, he also comlinked Nadka and arranged for her to look after the kids that night so that Anakin could have his first full night off childcare for years. Obi-wan had his neat little prim swimming trunks on, which Anakin found endearing. He himself was still in the same white shirt and scruffy ripped shorts that he had had on that morning. The twins were stark naked, free from societal restrictions the way younglings should be at that age.

"Last one in is a gundark!" shouted Leia, ever the boldest, and she and Luke were off scampering towards the lake. "Oh no you don't!" roared Anakin, whipping off his shirt and racing after them, scooping them both up giggling as he caught up with them before running down the jetty and leaping wildly off the end into the lake, a twin under each arm. Obi-wan followed at a more leisurely pace. When the Skywalkers surfaced, the kids implored him to join them but to no avail. Master Kenobi intended to ease himself in slowly, the sensible way to get into a refreshingly cool lake. However, while he proceeded to explain this to the twins a wet topless Anakin sneaked up behind him, grabbed him bodily and flipped them both into the water with a big splash. "Yay uncle Obi!" cried out Luke and Leia when he surfaced, spluttering like mad.

The men and children cavorted joyfully in the lake, playing nerf-herders with Luke and Leia riding their 'nerfs' around, chasing the little tiila waterbirds that bobbed on the lake surface. Eventually Nadka and her kids arrived and they pulled themselves out of the lake to share the picnic feast with them. The twins described earnestly to Nadka what a failure their dad's attempt to make a picnic the day before had been, Anakin fruitlessly trying to defend himself. "But at least I make the best popped chitnuts" he claimed, and little Luke nodded seriously. "Yes, daddy does make the best popped chitnuts. Even uncle Obi doesn't make them right". Anakin stuck his chin up and crowed "So there!" to Obi-wan, who just laughed. Nadka elbowed Anakin and smiled at him kindly. "See, you _do_ have your uses". Obi-wan was relieved to see Anakin freely laugh along with her – gone was the dejected introspection of this morning. Mission achieved.

Nadka eyed Anakin's white shirt approvingly. "Good to see you in a lighter colour today, Skywalker". "Really!" Anakin threw his hands up in exasperation. "Why does everyone suddenly care so much about the colour of the clothes I wear?" "Suddenly?" interjected Obi-wan. "You think this has come up _suddenly_? Oho my boy, you have no idea _how_ many times I had to defend your choice of clothes to the jedi council when you were my padawan – they were convinced that you swaggering around in very dark brown was a clear indication that you were headed for the dark side". Anakin was stunned. "No… surely not? _Surely_ … So even when I make a totally rational decision to wear clothes that don't show up any stains after I've been fixing my starfighter they still think it's a sign of my impending doom?" He looked at Obi-wan and Nadka in astonishment. " _Idiots_!" "Now, now Anakin" Obi-wan soothed him. "You have to remember that never in the history of the jedi order have they had to deal with a 'situation' like you. They were bound to get it wrong". He changed the subject, asking Nadka about her work at the local medical unit. As they chatted, Anakin reflected stubbornly that he was never ever going to wear anything other than the darkest black in front of the jedi council ever again.

The adults enjoyed each other's company as the kids entertained themselves on the swings, Obi-wan telling stories from his most recent missions to the Outer Rim, and Nadka sharing details of their family trip to watch the Galactic games where the brother of her husband had been competing in the long-distance running race. "I don't know why anyone would run that far these days when we have swoop bikes!" Anakin sat quietly, listening to the exchange of tales with pleasure, and was grateful that neither of them demanded that he tell any stories from recent life – though they might enjoy that one about the dubious items he found tucked under the corner desk in master Windu's office when he had been cleaning there the other day… He perked up and waited for a pause to join the conversation.

After a couple of hours, Nadka rounded up the gaggle of children, announcing that she was going to take them all to a new holovid comedy that had just come out at the bigscreen theatre in Cantara. "We'll come past tomorrow late morning to pick them up" Anakin promised, handing over the bags of overnight gear that Obi-wan had thoughtfully packed that morning. The kids were all happy to follow her off to the shuttle, Luke and Leia turning to wave at their father and uncle Obi as they left them behind.

Once they were alone, the two men turned to each other and smiled. "Now what?" asked Anakin. "It's been so long since I've had any time off from looking after those two that I'm not sure I remember how to do it" Obi-wan flicked a pebble at him, laughing when Anakin nonchalantly stopped it in mid-flight using the force and sent it back towards the older man, angled just right to slip down the back of his shirt. "Well, my dearest, how about we head back to the lakehouse, grab a drink and do some brainstorming of the myriad possible forms of entertainment we could indulge in?" It didn't take long to pack up their gear, after which Obi-wan took his young lover by the hand and they strolled back home.

Having finished putting everything away, Anakin turned the music back on at a low volume and joined Obi-wan on the couch, throwing his arm loosely over his partner's shoulders. Obi-wan started reeling off some options for the evening. "Ok, so let's see… we could blob out with a holovid" "meh, do that with the kids all the time" Anakin shook his head. "We could read books" Obi-wan offered, hopefully. "I know you'd love that Obi-wan but you can do that anytime, I want to do something special" the young man turned his intense gaze on Obi-wan's face as he emphasized the word _special_. "Well in that case we could go out for dinner at a nice restaurant" came the next suggestion. "Getting closer, but we'd probably just hand over a tonne of credits for food that isn't nearly as tasty as the food you cook here at home".

Nodding slowly, Obi-wan used the force to subtly turn the music up a bit louder, as he reached the option that he had had in mind all along. He grasped Anakin's hands and pulled him up to standing, where he wrapped his arms around his companion's lean torso and began moving gently in time to the music. "Or, based on your predilections from back when you were a freshly-knighted twenty year-old freed from the restraints of your dreary old master, we could go to a seedy nightclub, get completely trashed and make fools of ourselves on the dance-floor". He was gratified to see the look of amazement that washed over Anakin's handsome face as he grasped what Obi-wan had just said. "Really? You hate nightclubs! You would… you would do that with me?" "Anything. I would do _anything_ with you, Anakin Skywalker" came the honest reply as their eyes met and held their gaze. "Wow…" mumbled Anakin, lost for words. "You always did come up with the best plans" he eventually said, giving Obi-wan a kiss. Obi-wan nestled his head against the taller man's shoulder as they lazily swayed to the beat.

Later that evening Obi-wan was brushing his thick auburn hair, having already put on his going-out outfit of a pair of smart navy trousers and a crisp white long-sleeved shirt with a wide and unbuttoned collar. He had just finished trimming his beard when he heard a whistle from behind. "Looking _hot_ , Kenobi" Anakin said admiringly from the bedroom doorway. Obi-wan turned around and his jaw dropped. He had only seen the scruffy parent version of Anakin for years, but here was the young jedi in what to Obi-wan was his natural state: dressed for attention and devilishly attractive. He eyed Anakin from top to toe, taking in those lovely soft sun-streaked tresses, those vivid blue eyes framed by perfectly-shaped dark eyebrows, those luscious lips, that smooth smooth tanned skin… His eyes roamed down to the dark blue long-sleeved shirt that didn't cling tight but still somehow managed to accentuate that muscular upper body, tucked into - oh gods – a pair of tight black leather pants that suited both Anakin's body and his personality, with a blingy aurodium belt buckle – where the kriff had he got _that_ from? - to finish it off.

"Do I look silly?" asked Anakin shyly after a while, wondering why Obi-wan was standing there frozen, just staring at him. Obi-wan shook his head slowly, still transfixed but finding his voice again. "No… You look… staggeringly beautiful". The two men just stood there, making love to each other with their eyes, until a loud honk came from outside indicating that their privately-ordered shuttle had arrived.

On entering their chosen nightclub, Obi-wan was relieved to find himself feeling totally anonymous, particularly in his party clothes. Here they were camouflaged, surrounded by dozens of other clubbers dressed just like them and engaging openly in 'uncivilised' behaviours. Obi-wan couldn't help but feel proud as he saw heads turn, both male and female, after Anakin as he made his way to the bar. That gorgeous piece of ass was _his_ , and they could turn their heads all they wanted, only Obi-wan would be getting a taste of that tonight.

Anakin eventually returned to where Obi-wan was leaning against a wall with a couple of bright purple drinks with little umbrellas in. The pumping dance music was loud enough to make the floor shake, so talking was out of the question – but no-one came here to _talk_ , anyway. Anakin stood close beside Obi-wan, moving his hips in time with the beat as he sipped on his Antakarian hull stripper – a drink guaranteed to help people lose their inhibitions. As he reached the bottom of his glass, he tried to coax the older man to join him on the dance-floor. Obi-wan hung back. "I'm not drunk enough yet for that kind of public display Anakin!" "I know something that'll fix that" Anakin replied with a wink, heading back to the bar.

When he came back, he was holding two tall glasses of a glowing crimson liquid, being careful not to spill them as he weaved through the throngs. He held one out triumphantly to his companion. "Rancor's breath!" he shouted, before moving closer to talk directly into Obi-wan's ear. "Not a chance that you won't come and make a 'public display' with me after you've finished that bad boy" he smirked. They agreed that Obi-wan would join Anakin on the dance-floor either when he was inebriated enough to dance, or when Anakin was drunk enough to need rescuing, whichever came first. The older man sipped at the fiery drink, watching as Mr sex-on-legs sashayed his way into the midst of the writhing crowds.

After the fifth stranger tried to make a move on Anakin, Obi-wan had had enough, threw back the rest of the liquor and went to claim the man as his own. In a haze of moving bodies, Anakin felt a pair of strong hands grab him, and grinned drunkenly as he turned to grind provocatively against his handsome lover. They danced increasingly wildly as the music relentlessly increased in tempo, until Obi-wan's restraint finally failed him and he dragged Anakin off the dance-floor, out to the back rooms where there were, by design, plenty of dark corners. Panting, they clawed at belts and buttons frantically until their throbbing erections were freed, thrusting against one another uncontrollably while consuming each other passionately with their mouths. Other clubbers may have passed by the two men as they brought each other off, but no-one paid any attention as everyone was here for the same reason.

Afterwards, the two jedi straightened up their clothes and took a private shuttle back to the lakehouse, where Anakin giggled as he struggled to put the key in the keyhole to unlock the door since palming it unlocked was out of the question in his current mental state. Obi-wan wrapped his arms around him from behind, his fingers fumbling to unbutton Anakin's shirt, before slipping his hand down the front of those tight black pants. "I thought you were worried that people could see us out here" Anakin reminded his assailant. "Don't care" mumbled Obi-wan against Anakin's skin as he finally got the door open and they stumbled into the house.

While Anakin pushed him backwards into the lounge, kissing him fervently, Obi-wan undid the last button on his dark blue shirt, pulling it off first one arm and then the other before dropping it on the floor. Hitting the dining table and making a pile of toys crash to the floor, Anakin tore Obi-wan's expensive shirt off in one move, sending buttons flying. " _Anakin_! That was my best shirt!" "I'll buy you a new one" promised the younger man, overcome with lust and impatient to get what he wanted. He grabbed Obi-wan's hands in his own, steering him backwards into the kitchen as he devoured the man's chest, taking his nipples into his mouth one by one and titillating them with the tip of his tongue.

Obi-wan was powerless to stop himself being shoved up against the kitchen bench – not that he wanted to – in the face of the onslaught of a drunk, extremely horny Chosen One. The force billowed around them, bringing the older jedi close to sensory overload as Anakin dropped any remaining effort to shield his energy. "Stang I want to be inside you right _now_ , Obi-wan" he panted, his arms pinning his lover to the bench. "Well… here's a little something I prepared earlier" Obi-wan responded seductively, reaching down to unzip his own pants and edging them down. He had known that whatever tiny sliver of patience Anakin usually had would vanish under the influence of alcohol, so he had taken a few minutes in the club fresher to carefully prepare himself, in anticipation of this moment – another little trick he had learnt from Quinlan.

"Unbelievable" Anakin murmured dreamily as he stroked Obi-wan's hard-on before turning him around to face the other way. He quickly dropped his own pants, kissing the other man's newly-exposed skin as he bent down, and palmed the little bottle of lube into his hand. He generously greased up his enormous erection, before positioning his tip against Obi-wan's sweet spot and thrusting urgently, grunting as he forcefully impaled his lover on his shaft. Obi-wan felt like he might orgasm then and there, as he felt Anakin's huge cock penetrate and fill him more than he had ever been filled before. Anakin began to ease himself deeper into his love, until he felt a hand grab his ass and pull him roughly the whole way in. "I'm not a delicate little padawan Anakin, now fuck me _hard_ " the older jedi demanded.

Needing no further encouragement, Anakin withdrew his length almost the entire way before pounding it back into Obi-wan, drawing a choked " _fuck_ … yes!" from him. Anakin thrusted faster into him, their balls slapping against each other, and clamped his hand over Obi-wan's dripping cock so that Obi-wan found himself squeezed between Anakin deliciously and aggressively ramming into him from behind and that hand masterfully working his own erection. He felt Anakin tighten, letting Obi-wan know he was close to release. "Oh fuck oh fuck oh _fuck_ " shouted the younger man as he climaxed. Feeling Anakin cum explosively deep inside him, Obi-wan tipped over the edge and spurted all over the kitchen bench as Anakin drove up hard inside him and held him there, the two men shuddering as they pressed together in a mutual state of ecstasy.

In a daze, Anakin eventually let Obi-wan go and pulled out of him, the lovers stumbling their way to the bedroom where they collapsed into each other's arms on the mattress. There they made love for the third and last time that night, slowly and tenderly, connecting so strongly in the force that it was as if they were no longer two separate people.


	8. Permanent Proof

The two men lay curled up in each other in bed as the sun streamed through the window, eventually rousing them from their slumber. Anakin snugged his arms tighter around Obi-wan as he cuddled him from behind, the older man languidly running his fingers along Anakin's fore-arms. No missions to go on, no kids to feed… they both felt quite happy to just stay like this forever.

Eventually Obi-wan rolled over, to look at the features of his cherished partner's face as he lay there with his eyes closed. "So perfect…" he whispered, more to himself than anything, although Anakin soaked up his admiration, his force signature shimmering and dancing with the rapture of being in love. The older jedi traced Anakin's jawline gently with a fingertip. "My beautiful Ani…" At this, Anakin's eyelids flicked open abruptly and he glared at Obi-wan. Surprised, Obi-wan jerked his hand back and stammered "W-what?" "You can't call me that!" declared Anakin. "Why not? It's cute!" "Calling me Ani makes me sound like a little boy" Anakin pouted. At this, Obi-wan relaxed again, smiled and put his hands on Anakin's smooth hairless chest. "But you _are_ my little boy, Ani". Suddenly Anakin tensed, flipped the older man onto his back and jumped bodily on top of him, letting his full weight rest on Obi-wan as the young jedi stretched himself out to his full height.

Looking down at the top of Obi-wan's half-buried head, Anakin murmured flirtatiously "I think you'll find that I've grown up, master". He heard Obi-wan's muffled voice reply "Oh, after last night I'm _well_ aware that you're a big boy now", and felt a hand squeeze his bottom. "Do you want a reminder?" Anakin teased, both men feeling his cock begin to harden at the suggestion. "Well I _am_ getting old, and my memory isn't what it used to be" Obi-wan retorted as Anakin eased his weight off him a little, and with that the two of them were at it again, hands roaming and fondling as they lost themselves in passionate kisses.

Later, Anakin nuzzled into Obi-wan's neck as the older man cradled him in his strong arms. "That was extremely enjoyable, but I'm still going to call you Ani". Anakin paused briefly to look up, narrowing his eyes before deciding that really, this precious man could call him whatever he damn well pleased. "Fine" he said, letting his lips fall back onto Obi-wan's skin. "You'll just have to put up with me sometimes calling you Obi then". Obi-wan just smiled - being called a cute name in return by his breath-taking lover was a completely satisfactory arrangement to him.

Later on, Anakin sipped at a drink, daydreaming as he stared out the window. As he rinsed his glass, he grew suspicious of what Obi-wan was up to – the man had been in the fresher far longer than was strictly necessary. Anakin was pretty sure he knew why, and he wasn't happy about it. " _What_ are you doing?" demanded Anakin as he barged in. "I uh… nothing" said Obi-wan as he quickly backed away from the mirror and pretended he'd been clipping his toenails. "Yeah right, even if I wasn't the Chosen One I wouldn't be fooled by that act! I can sense everything going in this room. And given last night do you really think I can't also sense your feelings?" Anakin encroached on Obi-wan's space, backing him into the corner where he reached up and tenderly stroked aside the lock of hair that always fell down to cover the older man's forehead. "You are _not_ getting old, I don't know why you are even thinking about it!"

Obi-wan gently shoved him aside and went back to the mirror. "See that? _That_ , my friend, is a grey hair. On _my_ head!" "And?" Anakin countered. "And once hairs go grey they don't turn brown again you know, my darling. In fact, they probably peer-pressure all their neighbouring hairs to go grey too. You know, to not be left out of the raging let's-all-turn-grey party that is apparently taking place on my scalp" he said with a scowl. Anakin laughed in his face at that absurdity. "Contrary to what many might think, _you_ are the drama queen in this relationship, not me! I love your hair! And if it ends up pepper grey then who cares? _I_ think it's sexy – does anyone else matter?" He pressed up against Obi-wan from behind, wrapping his arms around him and nuzzling his neck.

"You say that _now_ but… but I'm sixteen years older than you Ani. _Sixteen_! Why on earth would you stay with me when I'm turning crusty and old and you're just coming into your prime. I saw the way all the heads turned when you sauntered into the bar yesterday. I saw the way beings both male and female were tripping over each other trying to get near you on the dance-floor. I felt the fantasies that ran through the bar staff's minds every time you spoke to them in that fucking charming voice of yours to order drinks." He stuck his chin out defiantly, daring Anakin to argue with him. Instead, the young man turned him around to face him, lacing their fingers together as he forced Obi-wan to look him in the eyes. "That may very well be the case my dear Obi, and I do apologise if others choose to behave strangely around me. _However_ , do you recall seeing me take any of _them_ home for a kriffing mind-blowing night of hot sex? No? I didn't think so." Obi-wan conceded his point.

"I think you're just tired after being deprived of sleep by a certain someone last night. And come to think of it…" His face lit up. "I have an excellent idea of how I can prove to you that I love you for who you are and that I'm not just going to dump you and run like that oh-so-admirable mother of my children did." "Oh yes, and how is that exactly?" "It's a surprise" said Anakin smugly. 'You'll just have to wait. You know, you might find out sooner if you would just drag yourself away from this mirror". As Obi-wan wandered off to finish getting dressed Anakin kept mulling over the idea that had spontaneously popped into his head – the more he thought about it, the more convinced he was that it was something he _had_ to do. And he had a plan for how to do it.

Over breakfast the two men agreed that in a few hours Obi-wan would go and pick up the kids from Nadka's place and then take them to meet Anakin in town to have lunch. Anakin needed to take the starship they'd used to come to Alderaan to the workshop to fix up a few minor things before they made their return journey. At least that's what he told Obi-wan, who knew that he was hiding something but frankly couldn't be bothered trying to pry it out of him, certain that he'd find out soon enough. Obi-wan settled into the swing-seat with a new book he'd picked up the other day – Anakin had been right about that other one, it really was too dry for a holiday read. This one was about different child-raising philosophies, which had seemed like useful information for him to absorb given the path in life Obi-wan hoped he was about to take.

Anakin sped off into town as fast as he could without risking arrest, heading for the slightly seamy-looking joint he had looked up on the holonet that morning. Dressed as he was in head-to-toe black, the other patrons didn't bat an eye as he stepped inside, made his request known to the man behind the counter, paid his fee and followed the man out the back.

"Well thank you very much for the tea, not to mention looking after Anakin's little ones last night" Obi-wan said courteously to Nadka, sitting down at her dining table as the group of kids played on the floor beside them. "It's no problem at all, I assure you." Nadka replied warmly. "I have great respect for that young man. He has really surprised me with the level of devotion and thought that he's been putting into raising the twins." Obi-wan dipped his head in agreement, sipping on his tea. "I must admit, when I first met him all those years ago I considered him rather irresponsible, arrogant even. But being landed with this responsibility has truly matured him. I now consider him someone I'm proud to call a friend. He's always been the first person to offer to help out whenever I've needed it you know. Utterly selfless."

Obi-wan nodded. "Yes, I've gone through a similar process of re-evaluating my understanding of that young man. Did he tell you that I've known him since he was ten? We've gone through everything together. He was a real sweetheart when he first came into my life… then came the emotional turmoil and strife of the teenage years, which I was definitely glad to leave behind… and then he blossomed into this tall, powerful and handsome young jedi around when he turned twenty and you should have seen how all the female jedi in the temple would swoon during his practice sparring sessions – we've never had such high attendance at pre-dawn training! But then his secret relationship with Padme broke him apart… broke _us_ apart…" The lump that formed in Obi-wan's throat snapped him out of his musings, and he became uncomfortably aware that he had been rambling on about his former padawan in far more intimate tones that would seem normal. He cleared his throat and looked around awkwardly, avoiding Nadka's gaze. "Anyway, so yeah he's a great friend".

Nadka smiled at him kindly. "You have no need to hide anything from _me_ master Kenobi. Anakin trusts me and tells me many things. And I may not be force-sensitive, but anyone with eyes can see how much you two enjoy each other's company. I am delighted for Anakin, for too long has he been struggling alone to provide Luke and Leia with everything they need, while not taking proper care of himself." Obi-wan blushed lightly at being exposed so easily, but Nadka's sincerity made him feel completely at ease and he found himself willingly opening up to her. "Yes, absolutely. But now he has me. I won't leave him struggling anymore." "My belief is that it is right to give and accept love in whatever form the universe decides to gift it to us in our short lives. Alderaan is very liberal, one can feel safe expressing oneself in public here." Obi-wan thanked her for her compassion – he could understand why Anakin respected and trusted her.

After chatting for another hour or so they rose from the table, Obi-wan indicating to the twins that it was time to leave. "Come on scruffs, time to go and find out what trouble your father has been getting into in town without us there to supervise".

As they crossed the threshold, Luke and Leia gave Nadka big hugs, as did Obi-wan. She grinned widely at him. "I'm already looking forward to having you all return to visit next year" Obi-wan agreed whole-heartedly. "Likewise, that would be most enjoyable. Thanks again!" He led the younglings off to the nearest shuttle station and comlinked Anakin to arrange a place to meet.

When they reached the diner they had agreed on, he spotted Anakin in his dark attire already sitting in a booth waiting for them. Racing to the booth, the kids launched themselves at their father. "Daddy! We missed you!" Leia squealed and started rabbiting on about how much fun they'd had at Nadka's house. Obi-wan noticed Anakin flinch as Luke landed on his hip - had he hurt himself? When? How? Anakin acted as if nothing had happened, bouncing Luke on his other knee and letting Leia pull his glove on and off while they decided what to order for lunch. Perhaps Obi-wan had imagined it.

After finishing their meal and exchanging news from Nadka and that the starship had turned out to not need repairs after all, they stood up to leave. As Anakin was sliding himself out of the booth seat, Luke grabbed his hand and pulled on it, causing Anakin's hip to push against the table. This time Anakin's wince of pain was blindingly obvious. "What's happened to you? Did you hurt yourself while repairing the starship?" asked Obi-wan. "Do you need to rest a bit?" "No no, nothing like that, don't worry about it" Anakin brushed off his concerns. "But you're hurt! It's my job to worry." "Yeah, well this was self-inflicted so seriously, don't worry about it." "Self-inflicted?" Obi-wan's puzzlement grew exponentially. "Just… let's get out of here and I'll enlighten you".

The men took the children's hands and walked them over to a nearby park where they sat down in a grassy secluded area surrounded by trees. "Right, here we are now. Out with it, Skywalker." Obi-wan glared at him, demanding an explanation. "So I uh… you know… to show you that I meant what I said this morning…" Anakin tailed off, feeling coy all of a sudden – what if Obi wan thought what he'd done was stupid? "I uh… well, I got a tattoo." He lifted his chin rebelliously, daring Obi-wan to criticise his actions. "A tattoo?! Coool!" exclaimed Leia, followed by a quiet request from Luke. "Can we see it, daddy?" Obi-wan couldn't decide how to react – a tattoo? Was Anakin insane? He had let someone else not just touch him, but draw something permanently on that perfect body that was his, _his_ , to touch, no-one else's. But obviously the act had meaning for Anakin, and who was he to tell his partner how to decorate himself? He wouldn't appreciate it if Anakin tried to make him shave his beard off, would he?

Obi-wan watched as Anakin gingerly rolled the edge of his pants down on his right hip, revealing a raw-looking but quite artistic black tribal tattoo arching over his hip bone and partway down his buttock. While the kids fussed over this new bad-ass addition to their father, Anakin stared Obi-wan directly in the eyes then deliberately drew his attention downwards where he indicated with a finger a detail in the pattern that wasn't immediately apparent on first viewing. O B 1 it said, hidden in the motif unless you knew where to look – and no-one was going to get to look anyway, not if Obi-wan had anything to say about it. Anakin spoke up, still staring intently at his beloved Obi-wan with piercing intensity "So there you are. Permanent. _Never_ coming off. So now you know." Obi-wan's face broke into a grin at the typical Anakin-esque logic, causing relief to flood through the younger man that his lover approved of his new body-art.

"That's great to know that's all you have to do. I want my slippers to never wear out, would you mind getting a picture of them tattooed on your ass too?" Obi-wan joked. " _Funny_ " retorted Anakin sarcastically as he delicately rolled his pants back up. "Well, show's over, let's go check out what's in this town eh?" He reached out his hands for the twins, and was pleasantly surprised when Obi-wan took Leia's hand in his right hand and reached openly for Anakin's with his left despite them being in a bustling town in broad daylight. As he laced his fingers with Anakin's the younger man looked at Obi-wan questioningly. "It's ok Ani, Nadka says they're very open-minded here" assured Obi-wan. "Well if you say so... But if anyone comes at us swinging then I get first dibs ok? It's been ages since I've been in a proper fist-fight!" Obi-wan shook his head, laughing at the unexpectedness of it all – a tattoo to seal their relationship, openly walking hand-in-hand through the streets of downtown Cantara and his protective lover ready to take on all comers. Who would have thought that one's life could experience such thorough upheaval in the space of a single week?

As they left the park, Anakin delivered a soft peck on the cheek to Obi-wan and gazed down at him sweetly through his long lashes, beaming. Strolling along, Obi-wan thought to himself 'so this is what it feels like to be head-over-heels in love'. He couldn't get enough of it.

Once they'd exhausted the possibilities that town had to offer, the family returned to the lakehouse for their last night in the idyllic location. Anakin helped the kids start packing their mini suitcases, before returning to the bedroom to help Obi-wan stuff all their own gear into bags. He had something on his mind that he wanted to be certain about before they returned to Coruscant, and to cold hard reality. "Has anyone ever told you that you'd be a fantastic dad?" he cut straight to the point, knowing that Obi-wan knew him well enough to not be taken aback by a direct question coming out of nowhere. The older man chuckled. "Well, no, Anakin, they haven't. It isn't something we usually discuss because jedi do not have children – remember?" "Oh yes, that's right, I forgot about that" grinned Anakin before turning earnest again.

"Seriously, I see you with the twins and you're a natural. You somehow manage to get the balance just right between letting them have fun but also teaching them how to do things properly and controlling them from doing anything stupid" he went on, not letting Obi-wan get a word in. "I was wondering… well, I guess it can't be _that_ surprising really…" Obi-wan waited patiently for him to get to the point. "I was wondering whether you would like to think of my kids as… you know… as _our_ kids?" He looked over at Obi-wan hopefully. Obi-wan smiled back at him as he folded a jacket neatly and pressed it into a case. "Do you even have to ask, Anakin?" Anakin let out the breath he'd been holding without realising it. "Of course I'd love to think of them as _our_ kids. But what will the kids themselves think? What about their mother?" "Pah, mother shmother" dismissed Anakin with a casual wave of his hand. "They were too young when she abandoned them. They have no memory of her." Obi-wan remembered how the twins hadn't reacted at all on that first day when Padme had come onto the holonet.

"Still, according to a book I've been reading we shouldn't force anything on them too quickly, I think we should just keep calling me uncle Obi for now until they're more used to having me around all the time." "You've already been reading _books_ about what to do in this situation?" Anakin stared at Obi-wan with affectionate amusement. "Incredible. Well, I know who is going to be in charge of homework when they're old enough, that's for sure." He tried to force one more scrunched-up shirt into his bulging bag. " _How_ do you have so much space left over in your bag? I swear there must be a black hole in there or something." "You know, as much as I admire how much you've matured over the last few years my dear Ani, in some ways you are still very much the messy, scruffy-headed little runt that we picked up on Tatooine" "Runt? _Runt_?!" objected Anakin as he drew himself up beside Obi-wan, a full head taller and proud of it. "I'll show you _runt_!" He started tickling Obi-wan, who writhed to escape, giggling hysterically, but Anakin's tormenting fingers were everywhere. He finally wrenched himself free and ran out into the lounge, where Anakin caught up with him and grabbed him from behind, turning the man around to kiss him deeply.

Just then, the twins ran into the lounge too, having heard the mayhem and not wanting to miss out on the fun. The men froze, their lips still hard against each other, tongues entwined. "Are you kissing uncle Obi daddy?" asked Luke innocently. "Ah… yes, son… yes I am" acknowledged Anakin after extracting himself from Obi-wan's mouth, wishing the ground would open up and swallow him whole as he turned to face his children. Sure, he wanted them to find out about him and Obi-wan's true relationship… but not right now and not like this! The twins whispered to each other. "Does that mean you love him daddy? You always tell us you love us when you kiss me and Leia." Flustered, but with his arms still around Obi-wan, Anakin replied "right again, my boy." He paused for one more awkward second. "Come here, you two." He moved over to the couch and sat down, Obi-wan perching on the armrest beside him uncertainly as the twins crawled onto Anakin's lap and snuggled into their father's chest. "I love Obi-wan and he loves me, and we both love you, and life is good" he hugged them tightly, glancing over at Obi-wan who was watching the scene fondly. "That's good" said Luke. Leia looked up at him with her big brown eyes. "Does that mean we have two daddies now? "I guess you could say that" nodded Anakin, relieved that his perceptive kids had worked it all out for themselves rather than forcing him to have an awkward conversation with them one day. Obi-wan leaned over and rested against his shoulder, putting an arm around them all. The little family stayed snuggled up on the couch for quite some time, enjoying their last evening together on holiday.


	9. Back To Reality

They had to leave early the next day, the younglings grumbling as the adults plucked them from their beds far too early in their opinions. Obi-wan stowed all their gear back into the starship as Anakin got the kids settled on board. He had brought them some toys and snacks, but as it turned out on this trip home they both were content to snuggle into their little pods and fall asleep. Once everything was sorted, Anakin reluctantly piloted the ship until they were out of the atmosphere when set the hyperspace autopilot and relinquished the controls.

Obi-wan could tell that Anakin's mood was deteriorating with every parsec that they were closer to Coruscant, and knew there was little he could do about it until he could have a good long talk to master Yoda. "Come here" he ordered Anakin as he paced about the cabin. "Come here, I want to hold you." Anakin paused, before following instructions and nestling down into the older jedi's arms as he sat in a sleep-pod. He savoured the feeling of being cuddled, trying hard to dispel the feeling of dread that was inexorably rising in his stomach, the fear that all this was about to come to an end and he was about to be spat back into the miserable drudgery of his day-to-day life, with the happy memories from this trip slowly fading away with time.

Finally, unable to cope with his trepidation in silence anymore, Anakin pleaded to his partner "please don't leave me, Obi-wan, I couldn't bear it." Obi-wan's throat tightened at the desperation in the young man's voice, squeezing him even more tightly as he promised fervently that he wouldn't ever leave him. But Anakin was lost in his fears and couldn't hear him. "I don't want to face reality, I… after all that's happened, after feeling like we're a proper family… to have to go back to the daily humiliation of cleaning the temple floors and working my ass off just to keep the kids fed with burnt dinners and grubby clothes… to not be able to hold you, touch you, kiss you…" He burrowed down into the solace of his lover's embrace. "It won't be like that anymore, I promise you" Obi-wan whispered to the black bundle of anxiety in his arms. "Things will be different, I'll make sure of it. On my first day back at the temple I'll go and talk to master Yoda. I know you and master Windu have never got along but master Yoda is more wise than I think you give him credit for." Anakin nodded his head a little but still didn't really cheer up.

As he cradled his beloved Ani, Obi-wan realised that he was still holding back part of himself, still not fully revealing the depths of his love to this man, a man who was clearly desolate at the thought of their being parted once again. "You may have gotten yourself a tattoo, Anakin, but do you know how _I_ plan to prove to you how serious I am when I say I want to be with you? He paused in slight disbelief that he was about to say these words, and mean them wholeheartedly. "If the council will not allow us to be together and remain jedi, then I will leave the order to be with you." That got a reaction.

Anakin sat up, mouth open in astonishment. He spluttered "no! No you can't do that! You're a _jedi_. You're jedi master Obi-wan fucking Kenobi, you can't just walk away from the order like that!" "Oh yeah? Watch me." Obi-wan was glad that he had managed to rouse Anakin from his wallowing in misery. "I couldn't live with myself if you gave up your entire life just to be with grubby old me." Anakin murmured, playing the edges of Obi-wan's cream tunic – they'd both reverted to jedi clothing now they were on their way home. "We'll find a way, Ani. I _love_ you. Things will be different now, I promise you." "I love you too, Obi-wan" sighed Anakin as he relaxed back into the older man's arms again, the force settling around him more calmly now, and eventually they both dozed off.

Inevitably, the moment came when the klaxon sounded to announce their impending arrival at Coruscant, and Anakin took over the controls to pilot the ship into the hangar. Obi-wan gave his shoulders a squeeze just before the ramp went down and they walked out and back into their respective roles. A droid rolled up and delivered a message to Obi-wan, something about a meeting about an upcoming mission that afternoon. He looked up and made eye contact with Anakin, who was standing there forlornly, clutching the hands of his kids. When he spoke he sounded once more like a model jedi master, aloof and proper in front of the hangar staff and ubiquitous droids. "I'm afraid I'll have to leave you all now to prepare for this meeting. Thank you for the lovely holiday. I will talk to master Yoda about the issue we were discussing earlier, either this afternoon or tomorrow if I don't see him today." He leaned forward and whispered so that only Anakin could hear him. "Love you. I'll be in touch, I promise." Then he turned sharply and walked off, not looking back.

Feeling as though the ground was crumbling away under his feet, Anakin numbly went through the motions to clear his and the kids' stuff out of the starship, lugging the bags awkwardly back to their quarters, children in tow. He tried to ignore the staring padawans and whispered gossip that seemed to haunt his every move here in the temple – stang, hadn't they got better things to do by now? As he doled up boiled vegetables and boring old wewak cheese on toast for Luke and Leia for dinner, Leia said in a little voice "daddy, we miss uncle Obi." Anakin dipped his head, squeezing his eyes shut to compose himself before replying "I miss him too, Leia. Now eat up your dinner, you've got creche tomorrow." That night, he lay bereft on his lonesome bed, resorting once again to hugging a pillow for comfort as he clung to the glimmer of hope of Obi-wan's promise.

After a fairly mind-numbing meeting about some uninteresting mission to inspect a new facility on Umbara, Obi-wan made his way back to his own quarters. Funny to think that these quarters had once been shared by him and Anakin when they were but master and padawan, living together every day without thinking anything of it, and now that their heart's desire was to be able to live together they were forced to be in separate quarters in distant reaches of the temple. A feeling of emptiness crept up on him as he looked around his perfectly-ordered rooms. No tripping over stuffed porg toys here. No wild giggles or sneaky attacks from behind by little human cannonballs. No warm hands tenderly caressing his back… he'd had a taste of what it was like to have a family, and there was no going back now. He shook his head and told himself to get a grip – he would talk to master Yoda tomorrow, but in the meantime he may as well do something useful by unpacking and then reading up on some notes for a class he was teaching tomorrow.

He clicked open the case that he had set down on his bedside table. He smiled to himself as he saw the bundles of dirty t-shirts that Anakin had obviously stuffed into his case when he wasn't looking, unable to squeeze them into his own bag. He picked a shirt up, and guiltily looked around as he brought it to his face and breathed in deeply, inhaling the scent of his love in lieu of being able to be with the man himself. Letting himself feel the emotion that he had been holding back since their arrival, he gave up on his sensible plans for the evening and curled up on his bed, hugging Anakin's shirt to his chest until eventually he drifted to sleep.


	10. An Important Decision

The next day, Anakin finished cleaning the temple gutters, his last task of the day, just in time to collect the twins from creche. He was leading them by the hand along one of the long causeways, absent-mindedly mulling over what to send Nadka as thanks for letting them use her lakehouse, when all of a sudden he felt his path blocked strongly in the force and looked up to see the diminutive master Yoda standing in front of him. "Master Yoda" he acknowledged his elder, bowing his head and hustling the kids forward to also greet the ancient master. "A good holiday you have had, young Skywalker?" inquired the wisened alien. As Anakin dutifully engaged in some courteous small talk he perceived that Obi-wan was walking along a passageway that crossed the one they were standing on, some distance away. The twins also noticed, Leia tugging at her father's hand "daddy, can we go and see uncle Obi?" Yoda watched carefully as Anakin swiftly tried to shush his little girl. "Not now, Leia, we're talking to master Yoda and master Kenobi is busy." Leia, however, would not be easily deterred. "But we miss him! _You_ miss him!" She turned to master Yoda and told him loudly "daddy looves uncle Obi", much to Anakin's mortification. Yoda smiled at the youngling while Anakin hung his head, blushing furiously with embarrassment at his daughter's innocent revelation of his secret.

"Make yourself uncomfortable, do not" Yoda quietly commanded. "Spoken already with master Kenobi, I have. This evening a council meeting to discuss the issue, there will be." Anakin gripped the twins' hands even more tightly on hearing this, Luke squeaking in protest. "Ah ok, th-thank you, master" he replied lamely, not knowing what to say. Feeling like the most awkward being on the planet, he bid master Yoda good day and turned to continue on his way. He followed the kids as they scampered ahead to catch up with Obi-wan, feeling completely exposed and as if every pair of eyes in the temple was watching his every move.

Yoda watched as the tall young man reached master Kenobi who by that time already had a youngling latched onto each brown-booted leg. After exchanging a few words, the older man reached over and simply put his hand on Anakin's shoulder, but Yoda could feel in the force what a difference that simple gesture made to the young father's state of mind. He cast his mind back to when Obi-wan had come to him that morning, ostensibly to meditate together. As it turned out, master Kenobi had much on his mind that had to be addressed before any meditation could take place.

"Enjoyed your holiday, did you, master Kenobi?" he had inquired of the neatly-clad master who sported a freshly-trimmed beard and crisp cream tunic. "Yes… yes, it was… most illuminating" came the reply. Yoda raised one green eyebrow – that was an interesting choice of words. He could sense that Obi-wan had more he wished to say, so he simply waited in peaceful silence for the other jedi to speak. "I need to talk to you, master Yoda. It concerns… Anakin Skywalker." Ah yes of course, his company on the holiday, Yoda thought to himself. Possibly not the wisest move on Obi-wan's part, deliberately reacquainting himself with his former padawan that Yoda knew he had struggled to let go of in the first place.

"I feel that… Anakin has been punished sufficiently for his past acts. It is a criminal waste of his talent to have him doing nothing but scrub floors all day when he could be using his undeniable gifts with the force to do much good around the galaxy." "Indeed?" queried Yoda. "Putting a man who clearly broke the jedi code back into a role model position - a better idea this is, you think? Decide to tread a similar path, other padawans might – agree, do you not?" Obi-wan took a deep breath. "If that is the council's primary concern then I'm afraid that it is a mistake to cast Anakin down in disgrace while holding me up as a model jedi master. I am nothing but a fraud, for I too have an attachment that I have kept hidden."

Yoda thought a little before replying. "Know that you have had a bond with Skywalker for a long time, we do. Hidden, this is not." Reading his elder's interpretation of his words through the force, Obi-wan shook his head. "That is true, but it is not that kind of attachment that I speak of. I believe that most masters form long-lasting platonic bonds with their padawans, even if we all choose to pretend otherwise. I am speaking of something more than that. I have a… _romantic_ attachment to Anakin. I want to _be_ with him, always, and he with me. I want to be a father to his children." He looked up at Yoda, face pained at revealing his innermost feelings so candidly, only to find a curious expression on the older master's face – almost as if he had suspected as much. "If the council will not allow us to be together, then I will leave the order. But I strongly believe that I can be a good jedi _and_ love Anakin Skywalker, if only the council were open-minded enough to let us be" Obi-wan finished, firmly. Yoda paused for a long time, before replying thoughtfully. "An important matter, this is. Affect more jedi than you only, it will. Come - meditate on it now, we shall, then a full council meeting I will call, this evening."

Drawing himself back to the here and now, Yoda thought to himself that yes, this topic was indeed long overdue for discussion in the council. He watched as Obi-wan parted from Anakin to continue on his way, the dark-clad young jedi proceeding to balance Luke on his shoulders and scoop Leia up to carry her on his hip before walking off towards his own destination. Yoda noted to himself the marked lack of any sense of darkness in the force despite the obvious attachments galore – if anything, the opposite was true.

Late that afternoon, Obi-wan found himself for the first time experiencing the jedi council in the way that he presumed Anakin must have felt since day one: as if he were stripped down naked in front of them, baring all for their excruciatingly exacting judgement. As he stood there in the centre of the ring, being scrutinised from all angles, Master Windu leant forward to ask a question in that condescending manner of his. "Why isn't Skywalker here at this meeting?" Obi-wan stared back at him incredulously, his voice rising as he fought to contain his anger at the presumptuousness of his fellow masters. "Isn't that obvious?" Because he didn't _want_ to be here! Why would he? He has received sufficient condemnation from the council to last a lifetime and he still endures disparaging comments daily from jedi who pass him in the temple halls. He didn't think he could cope with the merciless interrogation that I'm no doubt about to experience. Does that answer your question?" Mace Windu backed off, but Obi-wan wasn't finished yet by a long shot.

"It appears to have somehow escaped the council's notice that all Anakin Skywalker has ever experienced in this room is suspicion, criticism and humiliation from the very first day that he was shoved in front of you by Qui-gon as a ten year-old. Despite doing his best to live up to the high standards that everyone demands when you're involuntarily labelled 'the Chosen One', despite saving lives left, right and centre during the Clone wars, all the council _ever_ did was to accuse him of recklessness and bravado. Well congratulations everyone, today that promising young man is no longer self-confident and no longer has any pride in being a jedi. The council's actions have certainly seen to _that_." He spat the final word out and glared around the room, silently daring anyone to argue with him.

All but one of the council members were speechless on hearing this frank assessment of their actions from the well-liked and respected dyed-in-the-wool jedi master Kenobi. Master Yoda simply sat on his chair nodding quietly to himself. Taking advantage of their stunned silence, Obi-wan continued making his case. "You may recall that for over ten years I did my utmost to teach Anakin to be a 'good' jedi, to let go of any attachments he might feel, to no avail as he seemed simply incapable of not forming close bonds with everyone that he cared about. Is it any surprise that I could not teach him this skill, given the blatant hypocrisy of my teachings? Of all of our teachings, if we are honest? Master Ti, can you deny that you send cards to the patients that you heal long after they have ceased to be in your care? Master Koon, did you fall to the dark side after you risked your life to save those clones from your battalion that were stuck in a collapsed arms factory? Master Windu, did those framed photos of a particular pretty Corellian lady that Anakin found hidden under your desk while cleaning just end up there by chance?"

He looked around the room at the masters, many of whom were no longer meeting his gaze for some reason. "I could go on, but I assume that you all see my point. If we all have these attachments, why deny it? I consider myself a jedi dedicated to following our order's rules – some might even say _overly_ dedicated – but in this case I believe that the jedi code is wrong. I believe that attachment can be a good thing. Weapons can be used for good or for ill – do we prevent jedi from using weapons? Attachment is no different. I strongly believe the council should allow jedi to form attachments and, as for weapons, take responsibility for teaching young jedi how to use them for good."

Winding down his speech, Obi-wan ended by repeating in a soft voice what he had already told master Yoda. "Finally, I would like to let you all know that despite having devoted my life to the jedi order, I _will_ walk away from it if the council tries to force me to deny my feelings." He calmly sat down in his seat and awaited a response. After a long pause, master Yoda initiated the discussion by acknowledging that if the code were to be changed, it would not only affect Obi-wan and Anakin but every jedi and padawan in the temple and how did the other masters think that was likely to play out? The group debated on for hours, approaching the topic from myriad angles and, to Obi-wan's gratification, in a far more sympathetic manner since his long rant. Towards the end, they unanimously agreed that master Kenobi himself could not participate in the final decision since he was most certainly biased. Before he left, Obi-wan reiterated his belief that he and Anakin should be allowed to be open about their relationship, and that Anakin should be reinstated as a proper jedi once again, not a cleaner. He added that he believed Anakin would be a great teacher, based on how he interacted with his younglings. Then he bowed, and left the council to make the decision that would determine his future.

Unwilling to spend another night alone now that their secret was no longer any such thing, Obi-wan soon found himself at the door of the Skywalker residence. He palmed open the door and softly stepped inside. The house was peaceful, with only some quiet music playing, indicating the twins must be in bed already. As Obi-wan moved into the lounge, he could see Anakin's long legs in their black boots and dark pants hanging out over the sofa's armrest. "How'd it go?" came Anakin's voice from the other side of the sofa. The was the only drawback of being with someone super force-sensitive, Obi-wan reflected, you rarely managed to sneak up and surprise them. "Oh, you know. Inquisition and all that" Obi-wan smiled as he bent over the armrest to slide on top of his lover's lithe body. "But I had a good rant at Mace, you would have loved it. Even mentioned those photos you told me about." "Great! I _knew_ that little snippet of information would come in handy someday" Anakin grinned. The older jedi cupped his face in his hands and kissed him. "Does the fact that you're here with me mean anything – did they reach a decision?" the young man asked. Obi-wan explained that no, afraid not, they would have to wait until the next day to find out for sure. He added "but I don't care anymore, now that they know about us anyway, what are they going to do in the meantime? I didn't want to have to hug one of your manky old shirts instead of the real thing for another night!"

After the meeting had finally ended, Yoda was shuffling along the temple corridors towards his own distant quarters. As he passed the rooms he took care not to perceive the different force energies from each room too closely – it was important for everyone to have their privacy. However he simply couldn't avoid perceiving the gleaming luminescence that flowed vibrantly from one room ahead of him. It stood out, not only because of its power and its mingle of force signatures, but because for a long time now he had only felt murky eddies of despair in this particular spot in the temple. He passed by the door displaying a little sign with 'Skywalker' written on it, made a little sound of approval to himself, and shuffled onwards.

The next morning all the jedi were getting on with their morning business when a ripple of interruption spread through the temple. A team of droids had been tasked to deliver a message to everybody, and they set about following their instructions in that uniquely verbatim manner of droids the galaxy over. They visited all the teachers in front of classes, slipped notes under the door to all the private quarters, communicated by hologram to all jedi out in the field, leaving no stone unturned. The message was short, reading 'Note to all: Jedi code point 4 revised to remove subsection 2A only. Refer to revised code in archives for details." Many who received the message were a little perplexed, not being able to immediately recall what point 4 had been about in the first place. However, for the significant number of jedi and padawans whose personal lives had until now been oppressed by that very point the meaning of the message was blindingly clear. At first the merest trickle of jedi, the bolder ones, left whatever they were doing to find the person that each of them urgently wanted to share the news with, but as disbelief slowly gave way to excitement, that trickle turned into an exuberant torrent.

Anakin was alone in a far corner of the archives, dusting off old holocrons, when a droid bleeped behind him and passed on the message. He stood, rooted to the spot, as it slowly sunk in what the council's decision must have been. He had to find Obi-wan. Now. He brushed his leather tabards clean of dust before turning for the door, only to find his way blocked. "Shirking your duties, Skywalker?" asked the older man with a smile, the smile breaking into a grin as Anakin flung himself into his arms. "I followed the droid I programmed specifically to give you the message to save time hunting you down. I'm terribly sorry for the invasion of your privacy." Obi-wan joked. "No need to apologise master Kenobi, I eagerly anticipate that you will invade my privacy, repeatedly, as soon as the kids are in bed tonight" Anakin replied with a laugh, squeezing his lover tightly. "How did you do this? How did you convince them?" he questioned Obi-wan in wonder before showering his face with kisses. "Well I am 'the negotiator' you know" was all Obi-wan would say. "Come, let's have some lunch together." He took Anakin's hand in his and headed for the temple caf.

It wasn't chaos, but there was definitely an aura of giddiness around the temple for the rest of that day, as those who had been harbouring feelings for other jedi began to express themselves, at first cautiously but then with increasing enthusiasm as they observed that they were far from the only ones doing so. Still, as Anakin and Obi-wan strode confidently along the halls hand-in-hand, they left a clearly audible murmur of surprise, as well as more than a few 'I-told-you-so's in their wake. At the caf entrance they happened to bump into the one-of-a-kind jedi master Quinlan Vos, his dreadlocked hair tied up loosely and his sleeveless tunic displaying his substantial biceps for all to see. "Kenobi! Skywalker! Good to see you!" he exclaimed in his gravelly voice. He elbowed Obi-wan in the side, eyeing his handsome young partner. "A pity you obviously got in there first, Kenobi. I've had my eye on young Skywalker here for quite a while" he declared, as candid as always. Anakin blushed, at which Quinlan threw his arms around his and Obi-wan's shoulders, walking between them as they moved as one into the caf.

"Ah, don't be shy Anakin, I'm pretty sure you're going to find out over the next few days just how many of your fellow jedi have been lusting over you in secret." Obi-wan retorted firmly "well he's _mine_ , Quin, so you just keep your dirty mitts off him. I know you won't have any problem finding another." Quinlan just laughed, pulling out chairs for them all to sit. "Well if you ever get bored in the bedroom, just give old Quinny a call, I'm always up for a threesome" he winked at Anakin, who made a mental note to remember that offer, could be a bit of fun one day. Obi-wan just rolled his eyes, he'd forgotten just how insatiable Quin's libido was. Turning more serious, Quinlan placed his big rough hands on the table and looked at the others. "I have a hunch that you two were instrumental in this code revision somehow, but I don't really care about the details. I'm just stoked – a bit of rejuvenation is just what the order needed, it was getting way too stuffy and tradition-bound." "As if that ever stopped _you_ " Obi-wan interjected. Quinlan chuckled at the truth in his friend's words. "Yeah sure boyo, but not everyone likes to live dangerously like I do. Just you wait and see, the temple is going to be buzzing and things are going to be great." Buoyed even further by Quin's optimism, the trio enjoyed their meal together.

That evening, in a private meeting with masters Yoda and Windu, Anakin and Obi-wan were given the full details of the council's decision on their future. Master Windu started the meeting off on a conciliatory footing by acknowledging to Anakin that many things had been said in the past that both sides likely regretted, and that it was the council's aim to leave all that behind and try for a fresh start. He continued, explaining that the council recognised that the two men standing before him were two of the most skilled jedi in the order and that it would be truly unfortunate to lose them. Their new roles, should they choose to accept them, would entail part-time peace-keeping out in the galaxy and part-time teaching in the temple. Given that the twins were Skywalkers, no-one had any doubts that soon enough they would be padawans in their own right, but in the meantime they would stay in the creche with the other younglings, with flexible teaching hours allowing the men to share parenting tasks. If anything happened to both Anakin and Obi-wan while they were on a mission, the order would take full responsibility for the upbringing of the twins. Anakin trembled slightly, still not quite able to believe that all of this was actually happening. "Thank you, masters" he said softly, looking down at his feet before daring to glance upwards at the masters that he had for so long seen as his subjugators, but who were now offering him the very life that he had dreamed of. "I can't thank you enough. I promise I won't let you down this time" he vowed soberly. "Confident of that, I am" replied master Yoda. "Awaiting their fathers, your younglings are. Go to them, you should." Bowing, Obi-wan and Anakin left the room. As he watched them retreat, hand in hand, Yoda felt the force speak to him, enveloping him with certainty that this had indeed been the right thing to do.


	11. A Celebrated Union

One year later, Anakin and Obi-wan were alone in a small room, both checking and re-checking their clothes and hair in a mirror with a slight nervousness. "Come on you two lovebirds, time to go" called Quinlan, who was waiting outside with Nadka to escort them to the ceremony. Obi-wan did one last tweak of his dark collar, while Anakin grumbled to himself that white was a stupid colour to wear - he couldn't move without some bit of fluff coming out of nowhere to stick to his jacket and make itself visible. Obi-wan just smiled, he was rapt that his partner had finally agreed to his idea that they should switch their usual colour schemes just this once. Initially he had simply wanted to use the colours as a symbol for the entire order to see just how wrong the council had been about his beloved Anakin all along. Now however he had the added bonus of discovering that the young man was, unsurprisingly, damn hot in a white suit. To please his darling Obi-wan, Anakin had even gone so far as to order a new custom-made leather glove in white for their wedding day.

The two men followed their dreadlocked friend out of the room and climbed into the luxury speeder that Quin had hired for the day, soon heading out into the flight lanes of Coruscant towards the wedding venue. They both knew that there was no way of avoiding the crowds, reporters and camera-toting droids that would all be vying for a view – their coming wedding had been the most popular topic on the holonet lately. They had both been on the receiving end of plenty of media attention before in their lives, never more intrusively than when Anakin's public disgrace over his secret relationship with a prominent senator had been paraded across holoscreens the galaxy over. In truth, most of the public enjoyed a good gossip story and didn't think any the less of their Clone wars hero after that story broke, but that didn't alleviate the trauma of being hunted by photographers every waking moment. Happily, the media commentary on the wedding had all been positive, focusing on the revitalization of the jedi order's code to suit a more open-minded, modern era.

Reaching the magnificent chapel that was their destination, Obi-wan leaned over and gave Anakin a squeeze. "You look incredible, my dear." Anakin smiled back. "See you inside – if the crowds don't tear you apart before you reach the chapel that is, you handsome master jedi you". Quinlan wrenched open the door. "Come on, haven't you two done enough romancing by now? You _are_ about to get married, after all – if you ever get out of the speeder that is!" Laughing, Obi-wan followed Quinlan out into the blazing sunshine. As they'd agreed, Obi-wan would enter the chapel first, with Quin, his oldest friend, walking him up the aisle.

The waiting crowds cheered as Obi-wan stepped out into the corridor created by a string of younger jedi knights, holding the hordes back to allow him to pass through. Jedi master Obi-wan Kenobi was one of the most publicly well-known and well-liked of all the jedi masters thanks to both the holonet coverage of the Clone wars and his agreeable manner whenever out and about in the city. He reached the chapel doors and the pair walked in, enjoying the calm after the clamour outside. Obi-wan looked around, vaguely taking in the fact that the entire jedi council were there to celebrate with them. He spotted senator Bail Organa along with some other dignitaries that he and Anakin were acquainted with, and Nadka's family who had come all the way from Alderaan to be here for their special day… and so many others, jedi and non-jedi alike. He had to draw on all his skills to contain his emotions from taking over, maintaining a serene countenance, but only just. As they reached the altar, he and Quin turned to await the arrival of his husband-to-be. He gave a little wave to Luke and Leia, who were sitting in the front row with master Luminara.

When the signal came that it was their turn, Nadka gave Anakin a hug to bolster his confidence, before opening the door for him to step out into view. The roar from the crowds as Anakin Skywalker, their revered Hero With No Fear, emerged could be heard for miles. Everyone loves a good redemption story, and the saga of the famous jedi's fall from grace only to be rescued from the depths of despair by love had struck a chord in the hearts of many. Cameras flashed continuously and the throng surged towards him as Nadka led him steadily towards the chapel, but the knights did their job well and before he knew it he and Nadka were also crossing the threshold into the tranquil chapel interior.

Anakin entered shyly, all heads turning to the luminescent young man in his bright white outfit. Every force-sensitive being was flooded with the unrestrained deluge of shimmering force energy that surged wildly from Anakin as he inadvertently dropped all his shielding, his face radiant with joy as he made his way towards Obi-wan. The sensation was close to overwhelming for many of the jedi, thinking to themselves that kriffing hells if _that_ was what it felt like to be the Chosen One then actually they were relieved they only had mediocre midichlorian levels. Even master Windu, Anakin's staunchest critic, conceded to himself that perhaps it was no surprise that the boy had always been volatile, if that furnace of emotion was what he had been trying to bottle up inside all these years. Master Yoda simply reflected that if Obi-wan's love could help channel Anakin's overflowing force power into the light side at all, then the council had indeed made the right choice in updating the jedi code to allow this ceremony to take place.

Obi-wan, by now well used to being blasted with an avalanche of 100% pure raw Anakin, merely stood patiently until the love of his life reached his side and gently took his hand as Nadka went to sit beside the twins. "Daddy!" squeaked little Leia, receiving a loving glance in return from Anakin before he turned his attention back to the celebrant as he started to intone the words that would cement his and Obi-wan's relationship for the entire galaxy to know.

"Do you, Obi-wan Kenobi, take Anakin Skywalker to be your wedded husband, to live together in marriage? Do you promise to love him, honor him and keep him for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, to raise your children together, for as long as you both shall live?" Obi-wan gazed at his partner intensely, his lips curling into a smile as he slipped a simple ring on Anakin's ungloved finger and replied "I do."

"And do you, Anakin Skywalker, take Obi-wan Kenobi to be your wedded husband, to live together in marriage? Do you promise to love him, honor him and keep him for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, to raise your children together, for as long as you both shall live?" Anakin moved closer to Obi-wan, sliding a second ring onto Obi-wan's finger as he replied, beaming, "of course I do."

"Then I declare you husbands under the gods above and in galactic republic law. You may kiss." Time stopped briefly as the two jedi's lips pressed together passionately, a blinding wave of force energy inundating the hall, dissipating slowly as they pulled apart and turned to face their friends and family. Unwilling to be held back any longer, Luke ran up and took Anakin's free hand while Leia clutched at Obi-wan's. The two newly-weds led their children back down the aisle and out through the crowds of spectators to a waiting speeder. The Kenobi-Skywalker family climbed in and were whisked off to a more private venue to continue their celebration with their closest friends.

The wedding guests and crowds slowly dispersed, chatting happily, unwittingly stirred by the force as it resonated notes of freedom, love and contentment, reaching into all living beings and making them feel strangely uplifted. As the sun set on Coruscant, it truly felt like a new beginning.


End file.
